Edward R. Strauss

BOARDMAN-Edward R. Strauss, 89, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at St. Elizabeth Boardman Health Center.

Truly one of the good guys of area sports, Ed was born on Nov. 3, 1927, a son of John and Anne Yankovich Strauss, and was raised in the Buckeye Plat section.

He was a 1945 graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, where he studied in the college preparatory course. He played football (center/linebacker) and basketball (center) for the Redmen (known then as the Presidents) under head coach Howard Hartman, earning letters in both sports while helping the grid team to an undefeated season as a sophomore and the 1942 City Series title.  He was to be inducted into the WWHS Athletics Hall of Fame this year.

He entered the military upon graduation and served in Japan during the occupation from the latter part of 1946 until his discharge in 1947. While in the service, he played both basketball and baseball with the First Cavalry Division while his coach, Second Lt. John Capka, would later become the Director of Athletics at West Point.

Upon his discharge, he looked to enter college and was steered to Shepherd College in Shepherdstown, West Virginia by local alum, Mike Mitchell. He enrolled in the fall of 1947 and played football, basketball and baseball for the Rams, earning 11 letters (four each in football and baseball and three in basketball) during a stellar varsity career.

He served as vice-president of both his junior and senior class, earning his AB degree in Physical Education (he minored in Social Studies) in 1951.
For his exploits in all three sports, but most of all as one of its top all-time gridders, he was inducted into the Shepherd College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2000.

He began his teaching and coaching career when he was hired at Capon Bridge High School in West Virginia, where he taught American and World History, and served as head coach of its basketball and baseball teams.He stayed there just one year and from 1952-54, became an assistant football and track & field coach at John Handley High School in Winchester, Va.

Ed then took a position with East Liverpool High School. He stayed with the Potters from 1954 to 1961, until he moved back to the area for good, becoming an assistant football coach and later the head grid coach at Struthers High School.

He first taught at Fifth Street Elementary School and then moved over to East High School as a teacher/coach from 1961-1962 and from 1962-1986 was a teacher, assistant football coach and guidance counselor at Boardman High School. He earned his Master’s in Guidance from West Virginia University in 1967.

Ed began to film Spartans football games for three decades, filming a high school game on a Friday night, Hiram College on Saturday afternoon, and on Saturday nights filmed for various teams without photographers.

He became YSU’s head softball coach in 1985 and in the fall of 1986, three weeks before the football season started, was appointed the Penguins’ film/video director.  He remains the Penguins’ all-time most winning softball coach with 207 career wins. He retired as softball coach after the 1995 season, later retiring from his video duties in July 2005 after 21 years with the department.

He counts among his many noteworthy memories the six championship appearances that he filmed for the YSU football program.

Over the course of his distinguished teaching/coaching/film career, a career that spanned seven decades, he has called it an honor to be associated with all seven YSU Presidents and all six of its head football coaches.

Ed is survived by his wife of 61 years, the former Mary Ann Sabol; four children; daughters Kathy (Dan) Dowler, Sue (Elio) Andreatta, Eric (Nicole) Strauss, and Michele (Scott) Shaffer; six grandchildren Sara Dowler, Macy and Edie Shaffer, Lia and Rina Andreatta and Jack Strauss; and a brother, Tom (Mary Bell) Strauss.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Marge Smith and a brother, John Strauss.

Family and friends will be received on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. until 11 a.m. at Christ Our Savior Parish at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, 250 N. Bridge St., Struthers. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday at 11 a.m. at the church with Fr. Martin Celuch officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may take the form of contributions in Ed’s name to YSU Athletics Penguin Club, One University Plaza, Youngstown, Ohio 44555.

Arrangements are being handled by the Davis-Becker Funeral Home. Please visit www.beckerobits.com to send condolences.