Kenneth "Kenny" D. Strasser

Kenneth Strasser entered the arms of his Savior on Sunday, July 21, 2024, at the age of 92, at Aspirus Wausau Hospital.

Ken was born to Benjamin and Sylvia (Bahr) Strasser on December 24, 1931, in Antigo, WI. He married Joyce Spanbauer in Aniwa on June 30, 1951. They celebrated 67 years of marriage prior to her passing in 2018.

Ken and Joyce owned and operated Norde Memorials in Wausau from 1985 until 2014. Ken worked in the monument business for over 50 years; finding purpose and taking great pride in assisting families with their monuments. Kenny took pride in decorating outside the house for Christmas and loved being with friends and family; especially his two great-grandchildren, Daisy and David. Whenever you walked into his house on the weekends, you would hear Kenny enjoying his love of polka music on the Jeff Heinz Polka Show.

Kenny was a member of Wausau Elks Lodge 248 for nearly 50 years, where he loved socializing and bowling on the Elks Team. Ken and Joyce would make over 500 dumplings each year for the Abendessen event at the Elks. You could find Kenny socializing at the Elks or at the Eagles Club eager to greet you with his infamous smile. He was a member of the Wausau Polar Bear Snowmobile Club as well as Immanuel Lutheran Church in Wausau.

He is survived by his children, Douglas Strasser and Denise (Michael) Watts; two grandchildren, Leighanna (fiancé, Ben Hafeman) Watts and Jessica Watts; two great-grandchildren, Daisy and David Loos; brother, Art (Jeannie) Strasser; along with many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife, Joyce; brother, George (Ann) Strasser; sister, Dorothy (Clarence) Wild; mother-in-law, Olga Spanbauer; brother-in-law, Perry (Patsy) Mortenson, Russell “Buddy” (Nona) Spanbauer, Mel (Deloris) Sandquist; nephews, Craig Sandquist and Scott Spanbauer; nephews-in-law, Jerry Pearson and Dan Sippl; and niece-in-law, Marty Wilde.

Funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, July 29, 2024 at Ascend Funeral Home & Cremation Care, 2809 Jelinek Avenue, Weston. Pastor Leroy Jonas will officiate. Visitation will be held on Sunday, July 28, 2024 at Ascend Funeral Home from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., and again on Monday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at the funeral home. Interment to follow at Aniwa Union Cemetery. A Celebration of Life will follow interment at the Eagle’s Club, Wausau, from 2:00-6:00pm.

Ascend Funeral Home & Cremation Care, Weston, is assisting the family with arrangements. You may share condolences with the family at www.ascendweston.org.

Special thank you to nurses Christy, Marie, and Brenda at Aspirus Hospital for the loving care they provided Dad in his final days and hours. A very special thank you to Kimberly for making the last several months of Dad’s life worth living for him.