Living

Living married Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Charles was born in the midst of the Depression, and vividly remembers the financial struggle faced by his impoverished parents. In the summers, Charles was usually sent to stay on the farm owned by his great-grandparents, James and Zada Gentry. Charles remembers Zada as a tiny woman, and a good cook. She often remarked, after he devoured her meals, "Charles, you must be hollow to your toes."

Charles eventually rebelled against his father's stringent demands. In a bid for independence, he dropped out of school for in the eighth grade, staying out late most nights or not coming home for days at a time.

His parents sent him to Oklahoma City, to live with his Aunts Fay and Lois, who shared a home. His grandmother, Bessie Payne, lived there with her daughters as well. Charles slept in a cot in the back room. He remembers his grandmother having a Chocolate Hostess Cupcake waiting for him each day when he returned from school. Charles graduated from the 8th grade at Holy Angels Parochical School in Oklahoma City on May 25, 1947. After his graduation, he enrolled in the Oklahoma National Guard. He added two years to his age so he would be eligible to enlist. He was 5'8" and 138 pounds, and told the unit he was age 17, not 15. After seven months of duty, on June 4, 1948, he was honorably discharged as a Private. The reason for his discharge was listed as "Business Interference"

Charles returned home to Duncan to attend High School. He later dropped out of High School as well, and went to work at a bakery. He developed a lifelong aversion to most baked goods, remembering the overwhelming smell. Charles finally realized that education, was the best way to escape poverty, so he returned to school. He graduated from Duncan High School in May, 1952, along with his younger brother Bill.

Charles and Bill both enrolled at Oklahoma A&M (now OSU) in Stillwater. Charles borrowed money from his Aunt Lois to pay for his freshman year, and then was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean conflict. He received a medical discharge due to a chronic skin condition which made it impossible for him to wear combat boots. After his brief military service, he returned to OSU and used the GI bill to pay for the remainder of his education. He was original a Chemistry major, but changed to business and accounting due to these same skin allergies.

A Feb. 7, 1956 article in the student paper reported that "Charles Strong, arts and sciences junior from Duncan, was named president of the Newman club Sunday evening during the election of the 1956 officers. Strong, a chemistry major, replaces Stan Prochaska, agriculture journalism senior from Enid, as proxy of the organization of Catholic students. He had been vice president and one time co-chairman of the membership committee. Ed Wakeen, OIT student from Massachusetts was elected vice president...(also from Massachusetts) Joe Hayden was elected treasurer...Beverly Kirchmeyer from Ponca City was elected secretary. Continuing as chaplin.....will be Rev. Joseph Dillon, assistant pastor of the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Stillwater."

Being president allowed Charles to live in the Newman club, further helping him with financing his education. It was also through the Newman club that Charles met his wife, Pat, a fellow student at OSU.

Charles received his B.S. degree in May, 1959 with a major in accounting and minor in economics. His first job was as an instructor of accounting and economics at Bloomsburg State College in Pennsylvania. He was there for one year, after which time he went to work as an auditor for a public accounting firm in Tulsa. After two years in public accounting, he worked as an auditor for two years at Halliburton in Duncan, Oklahoma. He received his CPA certificate (#1659) from the State of Oklahoma in 1963. Charles went back to OSU, and received his M.S in accounting in May, 1964.

Later, he went on to obtain his Ph.D. from the University of Alabama (May, 1972, Major in Industrial Relations with minors in Economics and Finance). It was at the married student housing at the University of Alabama that the Strong's started their lifelong friendship with JF and Earlene Burney.

While working on his Ph.D., the Strong's moved between small college's in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas at which Charles had short term teaching assistantships. He was an instructor at OSU, the University of Alabama, Mississippi State College for Women, University of Texas at El Paso, and the University of Montevallo (in Alabama).

Charles looked a bit like Henry Kissinger (Secretary of State under Richard Nixon). Once, while on a business trip, he was in a bar in Washington D.C. He heard a whispered conversation between two people, who were hotly debating whether or not he was indeed Dr. Kissinger. When the waitress came up to ask if he wanted a refill, he drolly answered, in his Kissingerian best, "Yah."

In May, 1973, Charles was offered a position in the Accounting Department of Pan American University in Edinburg, Texas. He also received his Texas CPA Certificate (No. 12,595) in January, 1974.

While in the Rio Grande Valley, Charles became an avid bird watcher and member of the National Audobon Society. He participated in many bird censuses. He also enjoyed sailing.

Dr. Strong later became a full professor at Pan American. He taught mainly accounting classes, although towards the end of his career he began to teach in the management department. He retired in December, 1997. During his tenure at Pan Am, he served on numerous committees, was a N.A.S.A. Faculty Intern at the Johnson Space Center during the summer of 1974, and served as a visiting professor at Incarnate Word College in San Antonio. He also did the accounting, taxes, and financial planning for a corporate client in Edinburg. Charles retired from Pan American in December 1997.

Charles is a voracious reader, and is especially interested in nature and history. In the late 1990's he and his brother Bill made several trips to Europe to visit their cousin Pete Kubik and to visit various battle sites of World War II. He also became interested in Genealogy, and began travelling throughout the southwest, visiting courthouses in search of land records and also interviewing family members.

He is an enrolled member of the Chickasaw nation, as was his maternal grandfather, Thomas Payne. He is also a Mason.

(Medical):Had Covid-19 in December 2020.

Charles married Patricia Marion McGuire on 25 May 1957 in Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma. Patricia (daughter of Keith David McGuire, Sr. and Josephine Marguerite Morlas) was born on 30 Oct 1933 in Camargo, Dewey County, Oklahoma; died on 16 Mar 2018 in Edinburg, Hidalgo County, Texas; was buried in Camargo (Westside) Cemetery, Camargo, Dewey County, Oklahoma. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Pat grew up in the small town of Camargo, Oklahoma. Even though her mother was Catholic, she and her brother attended Sunday school at the First Christian Church since there was no Catholic Church in town. She remembers spending some time one summer, along with her brother, living with a priest and his mother in a nearby town learning enough catechism to receive her first communion.

Pat and Charles raised their children in the Catholic church, and most attended parochial schools, at least in elementary school. They respected their childrens views, however, and allowed those who did not want to go through confirmation to make that choice. After their children were grown, they grew disenchanted with religion, and embraced a humanist philosophy.

She was called Patsy by her parents when she was young. and Pat as an adult. When her eldest grandson, Charles Joseph, was first beginning to talk, in 1983, he had trouble saying the word "Grandma".....instead calling Pat by the name "Munga." All her grandchildren and the rest of her family began to use that name as well, and she was known as Munga to her family and loved ones for the next 35 years.

Obituary

Patricia "Pat" Marion McGuire Strong, a resident of Edinburg, Texas for over 40 years, was born on October 30, 1933 in Camargo, Oklahoma, a small farming and ranching community near the Oklahoma panhandle. She was an excellent student with many friends, active in 4-H, and played on her high school basketball team. She died March 16, 2018 in her home, surrounded by people she loved.

When Pat was 14, her beloved father, Keith David McGuire, Sr., an experienced pilot, died when the two-seat airplane he was piloting crashed.

Pat was very proud of her mother, Josephine Marguerite (Morlas) McGuire, a native of New Orleans, who rose to the formidable challenge of raising and educating Pat and her elder brother Keith as a single parent during the 1940's. Even though Josephine had not worked outside the home before, it became necessary after her husband's death. Being widowed at age 42, she had only the proceeds from the sale of her husband's welding shop, and a small inheritance from her mother, to help support her family. Josephine and her children moved to Tuscaloosa, Alabama and lived briefly with Pat's Uncle Elvis McGuire, allowing Josephine to take typing and shorthand courses to prepare herself to enter the workforce. When she finished with her coursework, they moved back to Camargo and she held several different jobs over the years, many simultaneously: a newspaper clerk and social columnist, a department store saleslady, a census enumerator, and most often was employed as a waitress at restaurants and coffee shops.

The main motivation for returning to Camargo was to allow Pat, and her brother Keith to complete High School in their home town. Pat graduated in 1951 as the salutatorian of her class.

After her graduation, Pat and her mother moved to Weatherford, Oklahoma, where Pat enrolled in Southwestern State College with her mother as her roommate. Both she and her mother worked while Pat was in college to cover their daily needs, as well as the cost of college attendance. Her brother Keith, an U.S. Air Force enlistee, also contributed to their support. Pat graduated Magna Cum Laude with her Bachelor of Science in Education in 1954.

From 1954 to 1956 Pat taught High School in Mooreland, Oklahoma, where she and her mother continued to share a home. After her mother remarried Kenneth Carpenter (a friend and pallbearer at her late husband's funeral), Pat pursued and earned a Master of Science degree in Business Education from Oklahoma State University. There she met, at a Newman Club dance, fellow student and her future husband, Charles Richard Strong of Duncan, Oklahoma, and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation. It was love at first kiss! They married in Stillwater on May 25, 1957. Pat graduated from O.S.U. in May 1958, two months prior to the birth of her eldest child.

Over the first ten years of their marriage, Pat and Charles had seven children, (in order of birth), Thomas Anthony, Mary Patricia, John David, Laura Ann, Karl Joseph, Paul Stephen and Anne Marie. They moved even more times than they had children. They lived and worked in Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Mississippi and Texas, while Charles taught at various colleges while completing his Ph.D. in Business Management at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa.
While busy raising her large family, Pat worked part time as an instructor in the Business Education Department at Mississippi State College for Women and assisted as proofreader and typist for her husband's doctoral dissertation. In May 1973, Charles, who was also a practicing C.P.A., was offered a position in the Accounting Department at Pan American University in Edinburg.

When her youngest daughter began school, Pat began to teach full time in McAllen, Texas, instructing her students in the subjects of English, Typing, and Shorthand. She taught 20 years before her retirement in 1994.

Pat is preceded in death by both parents, her stepfather, and four sisters-in-law: Daisy Newnam McGuire, Theresa Strong Rutledge, Betty Wehunt Strong, and Caroline Strong Brasher.

She is survived by her husband of over sixty years, Charles; four sons Tom (Melinda)-San Antonio, John (Isabel)-McAllen, Karl (Deirdre)-Boerne, Paul (Sherry)-Houston; three daughters, Laura (Ken Solomon)-Helotes, Mary Pat and Annie, both of Edinburg; twelve grandchildren, Charles Joseph (Pratistha) Strong-Jefferson City, MO.; J.H.T. "Tommy" Strong-Long Beach, CA; Michael Strong-San Antonio; Elizabeth Strong-Corpus Christi; Charles Richard Strong-Boerne; David Strong-San Antonio; William "Billy" Strong-Austin; Jacobo (Yamilet) Strong-McAllen; Katelyn Solomon-San Antonio; Joseph Strong-Boerne; Christian "Che" Strong-San Antonio; and Hannah Solomon-Helotes; three great grandchildren, Maya Strong (age 5), J. D. Alvarez (age 3), and Mateo Strong (8 months); her brother Keith David McGuire, Jr.-Bailey, Colorado; brothers-in-law, Bill Strong-Harlingen, TX; John (Brenda) Strong-Duncan, OK; Tom (Vickie) Strong-Laveen, AZ and Paul "P.D." (Jane) Strong-Duncan, OK; 18 nieces and nephews and their spouses and children; several first cousins from the Morlas family of New Orleans to whom she was particularly close, including Vivian Solares of Harahan, LA; former students; and dear friend and fellow teacher, Earlene Burney of Clarksville, Tennessee.

She was known for her love of her family, which is her proudest accomplishment, her quick wit, and her quiet intelligence. She was an ardent fan of the San Antonio Spurs. She adhered to and demonstrated the Humanist philosophy through her constant empathy and kindness to others, regardless of who a person might be.

She was also very proud that three of her children, one daughter-in-law, and four grandchildren have thus far followed her and her husband into the profession of teaching.

The family wishes especially thank Pat's special caretakers (Mary Pat Strong, Veronica Rosales, and Lilliana Herrera) for all they have done.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, P.O. Box 6251, McAllen, TX 78502; Comfort House Services, 617 Dallas Ave, McAllen, TX 78501; or the Rio Grande, or your local, Habitat for Humanity.

Cremation will be handled by Memorial Funeral Home, Edinburg. Interment will be in the McGuire family plot at the Camargo (Westside) Cemetery, where her family will gather this summer to share memories and oversee her interment.

Slightly modified versions of this obituary were published, either in print and/or online, in the following periodicals:

New Orleans (LA) Time Picayune
Woodward (OK) News
Duncan (OK) Banner
Chickasaw (OK) Times
San Antonio (TX) Express News
McAllen (TX) Monitor

The following tribute was posted, without a name attached, in her guestbook on the online version of the Woodward, OK obituary.

"My sincere sympathy is extended to Patricia's family. I fondly remember her as Ms. McGuire and as faculty sponsor of my 1955 MHS Senior class. My class was honored when she attended our 50th reunion. She inspired all of us to achieve beyond our capabilities and was always interested in helping us make good decisions. Speaking for the rest of my surviving class of '55 and as their President, we will all miss her and thank her family for allowing us the privilege of having time with this great person.."

(Medical):



An mtDNA sample supplies by her oldest son, Tom Strong, was analyzed by FamilyTreeDNA in Houston. Their analysis showed the following Haplogroup assignment, along with the following differences from the Cambridge Reference Sequence.

HVR1 Haplogroup
K
HVR1 differences
from CRS
16224C
16519C

The mitochondrial super-haplogroup U encompasses haplogroups U1-U7 and haplogroup K. Haplogroup K is found through Europe, and contains multiple closely related lineages indicating a recent population expansion. The origin of haplogroup K dates to approximately 16,000 years ago, and it has been suggested that individuals with this haplogroup took part in the pre-Neolithic expansion following the Last Glacial Maximum. William Hurst, on his Haplogroup K Website, writes that "Katrine," the founding mother of mitochondrial DNA haplogroup K, was one of the "Seven Daughters of Eve" as listed in the 2001 book of that title by Bryan Sykes. A lot of happened since 2001, but the book is still valuable.

Katrine lived about 16,000 years ago. Perhaps the oldest known K descendant was Oetzi the Iceman whose frozen body was discovered in the Alps in 1991. Estimated at 5000 years old, the Iceman proved to have the basic mutations for a K: 16224C and 16320C. Every K is a cousin of Oetzi.

Living married Bonnie Jean Benkelman Bonnie (daughter of Benjamin Franklin Benkelman, Jr. and Avis Augusta Smith) was born on 8 Dec 1933 in Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan; died on 26 Sep 2023 in Houston, Harris County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Bonnie was extremely active during her High School years in Cass City, Michigan. According to her yearbook, the "1952 Perranos", she spent four years in the band (she played the clarinet) and in the honor society; was alternately treasurer, secretary, and president of her home room; was in the junior class play; and was on the Annual Staff and in the Queen's Homecoming Court her senior year. Her lively sense of humor was apparent from her statement in the class will: "I, Bonnie Benkelman, of questionable mind and body, will my ability, (which I don't have) to stay on my hall guide post all hour to Jean Holmberg, who doesn't have it either but since she has to make a good impression it might come in handy."

She went to Western Michigan College in Kalamazoo, and was a member of the Sigma Kappa sorority. She was social chairperson of the Panhellenic Council in 1952. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education, specializing in Occupational Therapy. It was a good fit for her, combining her love of science and her enjoyment of doing things with her hands. Bonnie noted that Jane Stickley Benkelman, a nurse who worked both with veterans and crippled children, had suggested she pursue this career path.

Bonnie interned in Baltimore, at Shepherd Pratt Psychiatric Hospital, becoming an O.T.R. She also received an Elementary Provisional Certificate from the State of Michigan State Board of Education which would have allowed her to teach Occupational Therapy at the High School level.

Her first job after graduation was at Hines Veterens' Administrations Hospital in Chicago, in the Cardiac department. She saved her money faithfully to purchase an automobile. At that time a VW Beetle cost around $1,500. When she was within $50 of this goal, she broke her leg skiing. Most of her savings went to pay off her hospital bills, and to finance a trip to Europe with her Aunt Ilo Smith shortly before her wedding. When Bonnie resigned from the Veterens' Administration in before her marriage in 1958, she was classified as a GS-631-7 and was making $4,980 yearly.

Bonnie worked as an Occupational Therapist before her daughters were born. When her eldest daughter was 18 months old, she returned to work at the Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children in Dallas. After the birth of younger daughters, she stopped her paid employment to become a full time mom and volunteer. She was a homeroom mother, sunday school teacher, and girl scout leader.

(Research):
In the News

Cass City Chronicle
Friday, July 12, 1940
Local Happenings, Page Four

The dog at the B.F. Benkelman Jr., home rejoiced Sunday night. His little mistress, Bonny, and her mother, Mrs. B.F. Benkelman, Jr., returned that day from a week's visit in Lansing and Grand Ledge.

Cass City Chronicle
Cass City, Michigan, Friday, October 26, 1956
Page One

Bonnie Benkelman Passes OTR Exam

"Miss Bonnie Benkelman, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. B.F. Benkelman, 4581 West Street, Cass City, has successfully completed her national examination for registration by the American Occupational Therapy Association.

A graduate of Western Michigan College, Kalamazoo, one of 29 colleges in the United States offering OT programs approved by the American Medical Association, Miss Benkelman joins the ranks of 5,000 OTR's working in hospitals and schools across the nation.

Occupational therapists give treatment on the doctor's prescription in the form of supervised activity to people injured physically or mentally by accident or disease."


Cass City Chronicle
April 28, 1960
Page Six
Cass City Area Social and Personal Items

Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman enjoyed a four-day visit last week with their daughter and family, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McLemore and little daughter, in Chicago.

Cass City Chronicle
August 18, 1960
Page 4

Mr. and Mrs. T.E. McLemore and little daughter Melinda of Chicago, Ill., returned home Saturday after two weeks here with Mrs. McLemore's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman.

Cass City Chronicle
Thursday, July 26, 1962
Page Two
Cass City Area Social and Personal Items

Mrs. Thomas McLemore and daughter Melinda of Dallas, Texas, are spending two weeks with Mrs. McLemore's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman.

Cass City Chronicle
Thursday, July 15, 1966
Page Two
Personal News from Cass City Area

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McLemore and daughters, Melinda and Melissa, from Houston, Tex. Arrived July 4 and have been visiting her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ben Benkelman. Their youngest daughter, Leigh remained in Texas with her paternal grandmother. The McLemores expect to leave Thursday to return home.

The following article was published in "The Paris (TX) News" in the Fall of 1976.

Mrs. McLemore is Newcomer

Mrs. Tom (Bonnie) McLemore, 1065 Johnson Woods Drive, has been named as the Welcome Wagon's Newcomer of the Month.

A native of Michigan, Mrs. McLemore attended schools in Cass City and holds a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy from Western Michigan University.

She has been active in Girl Scouting, garden club work, Panhellenic activities, and a volunteer for Hope House for the Multiple-Handicapped Children.

She and her husband have three daughters, Melinda, 16; Melissa, 13, and Leigh, 11, and have lived in Paris about a month.

Living married Hortencia Contreras Hortencia (daughter of Jose Garza Contreras and Jesusa "Jessie" Laurel) was born on 13 Apr 1940 in Bee County, Texas; and died. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Living married Beatrice M Moreno Beatrice (daughter of Preciliano G. Moreno and Incarnacion Garcia) was born on 16 May 1937 in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas; died on 17 May 2022 in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas; was buried in Sunset Memorial Park, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Beatrice M Garcia, beloved mother, wife, sister and friend passed away on May 17, 2022 at age 85. Beatrice was born May 16, 1937 to parents Incarnacion Garcia and Priciliano Moreno in San Antonio, Texas.

She is survived by her husband, Darrel Mundahl and daughters Beatrice G Bodeau and husband Edward McQueen, and Yolanda Keefe and husband Louis; son, Phillip Garcia, Jr., brothers, Oscar A Moreno, and Albert Moreno and wife Pat; grandchildren, Laura and husband Chris Camacho, Tracey and husband Patrick Bailey, Jennifer Tocci, Abby Keefe, Linsey Martin, Eric and wife Alicia Hover, Cody and husband Tyler Hild, Daniel Garcia, Jesse and husband Joey Garcia, Michelle Garcia, Racheal Garcia, Christina Garcia, and 20 great grandchildren along with numerous relatives and friends.

Please join the family for a celebration of Beatrice's life by Pastor Danny, Sunday May 22, 2022 at Sunset Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 1701 Austin Highway, San Antonio, TX 78218 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.sunsetfuneralhomesa.com for the Garcia family.