Regis R. Strash inspired family with `nanagrams'

Whether it was inspirational "nanagrams" to her grandchildren, a random act of kindness to neighbors or funny little sayings to her family, Regis Rayfield Strash's positive outlook on life is reflected in her family's memories.

Even as she developed Parkinson's disease, her humor remained intact.

"When the doctors were testing the progress of the Parkinson's, they asked what would she do if she ran out of gas on the freeway, and she said, `Swear,' " her husband George Strash said with a chuckle. "She had an unstoppable sense of humor."

Mrs. Strash's youngest son, Daniel, remembers how she would get him and his siblings to do things as children.

"You'd say, `What for?' and She'd say, `What fur? Cat fur, to make a pair of kitten britches,' and she'd get the child laughing. You'd be thrown off by that, and before you knew it you'd be doing what Mom told you," the 41-year-old Issaquah man said.

Her way with youngsters extended to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She would write advice on a piece of paper, which she dubbed "nanagrams." She also sang Russian folk songs to the toddlers, which she learned from her 101-year-old mother-in-law.

Religion was very important.

As a founding parishioner of St. Matthew's Catholic Church in Seattle and St. Jude Catholic Church in Redmond, she was active until illness disabled her.

Mrs. Strash died last Tuesday (May 16) of a stroke at age 84.

Her kindness and concern for others touched those who knew her.

Gardening was a passion. Mrs. Strash's husband of 58 years remembers that even when they were dressed for a dinner out, she would bend down and pull weeds on her way to the car.

After retiring in 1977 from the University of Washington as a Haggett Hall office administrator, she and her husband traveled to South America, Hawaii, Russia, England, Scotland, France, Italy and Ireland.

The couple visited Blarney Castle in Ireland and kissed the fabled Blarney Stone, which was exciting to her because she was of Irish descent.

"She was the best traveling companion I ever had," said her husband.

A rural South Dakota native, Mrs. Strash taught in a single-room schoolhouse. Her father was a fur trapper and her mother a hat model.

After her mother's death, Mrs. Strash moved to Seattle, where she met her husband at a Century Ballroom dance. They were married five months later and raised seven children.

"She wasn't rich or famous. She was just a real person, a great mom and a great nana," her son Daniel said.

Other survivors include her sons Stuart Strash of New York, George Strash Jr. and Marcus Strash, both of Edmonds; daughters, Susan Redler of Seattle, Stephanie Snidarich and Melissa Strash, both of Edmonds; sister, Arlene Meehan of Davis, Calif.; 16 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

Memorial services have been held. Remembrances may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.