Eldyn Streff

Eldyn John Streff, a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, died Friday Dec. 17 at a care facility in Roanoke, Va. He was 91 and had been healthy and active, walking for an hour nearly every morning rain or shine, until near his 90th birthday, when he began suffering from dementia and Parkinsons disease.

Eldyn died less than a day after being told of the death of his loving wife of 65 years, Monica, who had cared for him until she herself fell ill earlier this year.

His family remembers Eldyn as a loving father and grandfather who took huge delight in his children and grandchildren, with a sometimes sarcastic sense of humor and deeply loyal to his wife and family. Without a college degree himself and growing up with few advantages, he dedicated himself to putting each of his five children through college and was fiercely proud to have succeeded. His children often voiced their love and admiration of him as an outstanding father. His daughter, Pam, won a 5 ^th grade local essay contest praising her “top pop.”

Eldyn was born on a farm outside Salem, South Dakota, on May 30, 1930, the son of John and Anna (Hoenscheid) Streff, first generation immigrants from Germany.  After graduation from high school, he began working for the International Harvester Company in Sioux Falls.  He enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 and served four years in Germany and France as a clerk typist, helping to transition service records to the recently formed Air Force.  After his service, he returned to his same job in Sioux Falls, and met Monica Anne Schwebach, a registered nurse from nearby Dell Rapids on a blind date.  They married in 1956 and raised five children.

As International Harvester went through restructurings, they moved from Sioux Falls to Huron, S.D., then Walla Walla, Wash.; Pleasanton, Calif.; Plano, Texas, and finally Olathe, Kan.; where they settled and eventually retired in 1986.

During his working years, Eldyn retained the love for sports he gained as a baseball, football, and basketball player at Saint Mary’s High School, coaching little league baseball for his son, playing golf for recreation, and being the biggest fan for his grandchildren’s sports teams and the Kansas City Royals and Chiefs.

After retiring, he and Monica lived in Olathe for many years. Eldyn read a newspaper every day and loved history, especially of World War II, which he had followed news of on the radio as a boy. He played golf and walked every morning until nearly age 90, determined to stay fit. He and Monica were long time members of Prince of Peace Catholic Church and volunteered for many years supporting the parish’s accounting department. They traveled extensively to visit their far-flung family across the United States and in foreign locations with children serving in the military, as foreign correspondents, and in the State Department.  He built a model railroad display that depicted many of the places he had lived and visited.

Eldyn and Monica lived in their family home in Olathe until they became frail, then moved to an apartment and then a nearby independent living facility, and then in May 2021, to be near many of their children at Smith Mountain Lake in central Virginia near Roanoke.

Eldyn is survived by his son, Mike Streff and daughter-in-law Sara Streff of Moneta, Va.; daughter Pam Streff of Moneta; daughter Susan Heyroth and son-in-law Pete Heyroth of Moneta; daughter Sally Buzbee of Washington DC and daughter Mary Jane Baker and son-in-law Tom Baker of Kansas City, Mo. He also is survived by 10 grandchildren and one great grandson. His parents John and Anna Streff of Salem and his sisters Yvonne Streff, and Janice Dickey and an infant granddaughter, Anne Marie Buzbee preceded him in death.

A memorial service for Monica and Eldyn will be held in the summer. Donations can be sent in his name to the Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Olathe, Kansas.

Arrangements by Flora Funeral Service and Cremation Center, Rocky Mount/ Smith Mountain Lake.