Shirley Myers Strasburger

July 31, 1934 – July 19, 2021

Shirley Ann Myers Strasburger spent her life lifting the human spirit through arts, education and faith. When she died on July 19 at age 86, she left a legacy of organizations that she helped to establish and nurture.

She focused her energy and talents on the plight of children, especially through arts and education. Friends and family recall her commitment to her family and her community, coupled with unwavering generosity of time, talent and expertise – especially through encouragement, reinforcement and support.

Her funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday, July 30, at Christ Episcopal Church, 300 N. Main, Temple, with a reception following in the parish hall. The Rev. Michael Wyckoff of Austin will officiate.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to Christ

Episcopal Church, 300 N. Main, Temple 76501; Temple Education Foundation, 401 Santa Fe Way, Temple 76501; or the Azalee Marshall Cultural Activities Center, 3011 N. 3rd St., Temple, 76501.

Born July 31, 1934, Shirley was the daughter of John Orion “Jack” Myers (1904-1954) and Jimmie Luvator “Vada” Cummings Myers (1905-1967) of Columbus, Texas.

She earned a degree in education from Baylor University, where she was a Golden Girl with the Baylor Band.

At Baylor, she met and married Harvey Thomas “Tommy” Strasburger, whom she married on Dec. 4, 1954. They briefly lived in San Francisco and Baltimore, where she taught elementary school. They later settled in Temple, where Tommy worked with his father in the family grocery business and other enterprises.

Christ Episcopal became her family’s home church and where she first displayed her leadership abilities. She provided guidance, leadership and mentorship to many church programs and projects.

Early in their marriage, Shirley devoted herself to activities surrounding her four children.

By fall 1969, she and several other women formed an ad hoc committee to raise funds for the Cultural Activities Center, then a decade-old arts organization operating out of rented spaces and aging buildings. By the next year, Shirley and the committee formed The Contemporaries, the CAC’s service and fund-raising organization. Later, Shirley served as president and chairman of several projects.

In 1988, Temple ISD officials proposed establishing an education foundation to provide financial support and scholarships to graduating high school students, especially in underserved areas. Shirley provided the essential leadership to form the Temple Education Foundation (TEF) during the 1990-1991 school year, serving as its first chairman 1990-1992. Through the TEF, Shirley made a strong impact on the lives of countless students and her legacy continues to this day.

In 2012, the Strasburger family established the first endowed scholarship for the Temple Education Foundation. As a result, those original assets have grown over the years. As of May 2020, the foundation had 42 general, named, and endowed scholarships.

Shirley was a trusted advisor and vice president of SEI with her husband as it evolved from a local grocery store to a burgeoning network of convenience stores. She traveled with him as his company expanded internationally. She managed and grew the operations of their travel agency, MegaTravel.

Besides her husband, Shirley is survived by her four children and their families: Roy and Eva Strasburger and their children, Selina, Chantal, Lorelei and Danielle; Gregg and Susan Strasburger and their family, Andrew, Sean and Erin and her husband, Matt LeDoux and their children, Everett and George; Sharon and Roger Ingram and their family Pierce and Amari Ingram and their child, Miller; Lance and Micah Ingram; and Brooke and Bo Prock; Susan Vick and her children Isabella, Camille, Robert and Sophia.