Rev. William E. Stroup, Jr., 71, of Algonquin, Illinois, died at his home on March 12, 2019, as his family was blessing him and singing.
Bill lived with a glioblastoma brain tumor for over six years. He was a lifelong resident of the Fox Valley area, having lived in Elgin, East Dundee, Carpentersville, and Algonquin.
Born in 1947 in Elgin, Illinois, to William Stroup, Sr. and June Stroup (nee Weseman), Bill was the oldest of eight children raised by June and her second husband, Robert Albrecht. His family faithfully attended Bethlehem Lutheran Church, West Dundee, where he served in music and church leadership.
Bill was a 1965 graduate of Dundee Community High School and continued on to graduate from Bradley University in 1969. Following graduation, he enrolled in Officer Candidate School and served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War.
Bill and Sue Ackemann were married in 1971 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, where they met. While working in the computer office at Judson College, Bill and Sue’s daughter, Laura, was born in 1974. Their second daughter, Emily, was born in 1977 shortly before Bill began a career at Motorola in Schaumburg as a Computer Programmer Analyst.
After nearly twenty years at Motorola, Bill heard the Lord’s call to ordained ministry and began seminary at Concordia Theological Seminary, Ft. Wayne, Ind. in 1998. Upon completing his theological studies, he returned to the area, called to serve St. John’s Lutheran Church in Algonquin, retiring as their Senior Pastor in 2013.
Bill is survived by his wife of 47 years, Sue; daughters, Laura (Andy) Arnold and their daughter, Katrina, of Maple Valley, Washington; Emily (Tony) VanPuyenbroeck, of Crystal Lake, and their children, Jocelyn, Caden, Gavin, and Braxton; his siblings, Wayne Stroup, Linda Chapman, Don (Vicki) Stroup, Diane (Frank) Buhrman, Nancy Beck, James Albrecht, and David (Alexa) Albrecht; sister-in-law Sally (Bill) Boscaljon, as well as many nieces and nephews.He was preceded in death by his mother, June, and father, William; brother-in-law, Dann Chapman; and brother-in-law Bill Ackemann.
Funeral service will be held Saturday, March 16 at 10:30 a.m. at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 300 Jefferson Street, Algonquin, Illinois.
Visitation will be held on Friday, March 15, at St. John’s Lutheran Church from 5:00 pm. to 7:30 p.m. and on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. John’s Lutheran Church,
stjohnsalgonquin.churchcenter.com/giving, or Bethlehem Lutheran Church, West Dundee bethlehemdundee.org, or the American Cancer Society www.cancer.org.