Ronald Strout

WINDHAM – On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, the world lost Ronald Strout, loving husband, father, grandfather, son, uncle, friend and colleague. And while it’s impossible to sum up 74 years of someone as amazing a man as Ron in 450 words or less, we (his family) will try and make him proud.Ron, as he was known, was the ultimate family man. He adored his wife and partner, Martha Keef Strout, and his three children, Aaron, John and Heather Strout, as well as their respective spouses, Melanie Strout, Larrissa Strout and Lee Baker. He could never spend enough time with his eight grandchildren, Olivia Strout (21), Ben Strout (19), Audrey Strout (13), Owen Strout (14), Sophia Strout (12), Ella Strout (8), Calvin Baker (7) and Ohlen Baker (5). You could often find him with one of them in his woodshop, pushing them on the swing, driving them around in the boat, or making their favorite breakfast, homemade pancakes and bacon.Ron was born in Portland, but spent most of his early years on a farm in Windham, with his parents, Betty and Win Strout, brother, Dick Roy and sister, Lauraett Baggett.In 1976, he and Martha moved the family to Melrose, Mass., raising their three children there before relocating to Ormond Beach, Fla. in 1986. Ron and Martha returned to New England in 1992 where they’ve lived ever since.Ron and Martha started traveling early in their lives thanks to Martha’s Norwegian AFS “sister”, Inger Riley, who married Ron’s best friend, John Riley. Ron and Martha were also active hosts for several foreign exchange students through AFS over the course of their lives. The couple had stayed particularly close with students, Maria Barros (Portugal) and Andrea Marasco (Italy) over the last 35 years.One of Ron’s favorite places in the world to visit was India. He became a vegetarian in the late ’70s — well before most Americans knew what that meant — so traveling to a country where nearly one third of the population maintained a meatless diet, made him feel right at home.You might not be surprised to hear that Ron was also an environmentalist and feminist well before his time. As Larry Reed, close friend and father-in-law to John, so eloquently put it, “Ron was a friend to everyone he met, dedicated church member; corporate executive; carpenter extraordinaire; marathoner; water and downhill skier; cyclist and world traveler.” He also spent countless hours with his children playing catch, listening to them play piano, driving to swim meets, shooting hoops in the driveway, and helping with homework late into the evening. He was the consummate cheerleader.After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maine in the mid-’60s, Ron worked his whole life as an executive in financial services, but he was equally comfortable taking care of his garden, working around the house, shoveling snow, splitting wood to feed the woodstove, or baking the most delicious bread you’ve ever tasted. He was truly a renaissance man.Some of his fondest memories are spending time with his family, whether traveling to Scotland with his parents and wife, spending Father’s Day at Fenway Park with his two sons, son-in-law and granddaughter where he got to run the bases and play catch on the outfield (he was an avid Red Sox fan), or downhill skiing with his daughter.The family will be hosting a celebration of life in Maine during the summer of 2021. Details will be shared in the coming weeks for any interested in attending.In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to the Maine Conservation Alliance (http://bit.ly/legacymca).


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