John Robert Strubhar

Dr. John Robert Strubhar, age 78, entered the presence of his Savior, Jesus Christ, on November 13, 2024. Born September 26, 1946, in Chicago, Illinois to evangelists Robert and Verna (Magary) Strubhar, he spent his early years traveling with his parents around the country. His first years set the backdrop for his call to “serve Jesus” and the trajectory for his lifelong pastoral work. After attending Westmont College, he finished his bachelor’s degree from Summit Christian College while serving as the Associate Pastor at Harvester Missionary Church. He married Sandra K. Eicher in 1968, and they moved to Zion, Illinois to attend Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he earned his Masters of Divinity, Masters of Theology, and Doctor of Ministry degrees while serving as Youth Pastor at Lakeview Church. This experience launched his next 50 years of ministry serving as Lead Pastor to congregations in Indiana, Illinois, California, and as Executive Pastor in Florida. For seven years, he served as the District Superintendent (The Great Lakes District) for the Evangelical Free Church of America. In his retirement, he continued to serve as an interim pastor for congregations in Nebraska, California, Indiana, and Michigan. From his younger years on the basketball court to preaching thousands of sermons in the pulpit, he valued excellence in his work, investing in the next generation, and “coaching” others around him. He devoted himself to expository preaching, often visibly holding the Bible over his head to demonstrate that he preached only under the authority of God’s Word. He mentored many young pastors and used his giftedness to grow and plant churches, aid in organizational leadership, and author multiple books. He is survived by his wife, Sandy Strubhar of Fort Wayne, IN, his brother, Peter (Ronda) Strubhar of Peoria, AZ, and his sister, Mary (G.Q’uintyn) Brown of Alta Loma, CA, his three daughters, Stephanie (Jonathan) Niednagel of Santa Clarita, CA, Dawn (Glen) Rogers of Cincinnati, OH, and Tonya (Mark) Hammond of Fort Wayne, IN; 10 grandchildren, and 2 great-grandchildren. Services to honor his life begin Friday, December 6, 2024 with visitation from 2:30-5:00 pm at D.O. McComb and Sons - Maplewood Park, followed by a Celebration of Life at 10:00 am, Saturday, December 7, 2024 at Brookside Church, 6102 Evard Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46835. Burial will follow in Riverview Cemetery. Family requests, in lieu of flowers, please make a memorial in his name to the Burnham Ministries International.