Obituaries & Guestbook

Cornelius William “Casey” Stroo of Sheboygan passed away peacefully on Friday, October 16, 2020. He was 99 years old.
Casey was born on June 12, 1921 in Vlissingen, Netherlands, the son of John Sr. and Martha (Duyvekote) Stroo. His family immigrated to the United States in 1923 when he was two years old, arriving through Ellis Island, and settled in Sheboygan. He graduated from North High School in 1939, the first class to graduate from the school.
Casey was a Veteran who served his country in World War II. As a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Forces, he was stationed on the East coast where he inspected and maintained the fleets of aircraft that protected US shorelines.
Casey was united in marriage to Janice Badtke on November 30, 1946 at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. Casey and Janice lived in Sheboygan where they raised their 5 children. He was employed at Kohler company until the 1954 strike, then spent the rest of his career at Quasius Construction, retiring in 1986.
Casey enjoyed spending time at their cottage on Little Elkhart Lake where he could be found grilling brats for friends and family gatherings while drinking a Kingsbury, or swimming around the island for exercise. He was a bowler, cribbage and sheepshead player, activities that could also be done while enjoying a beer. Casey loved watching the Green Bay Packers play football. He started going to games at the old City Stadium and purchased season tickets with his brothers when Lambeau Field opened in 1957. In those days you wore a suit and tie to the game. His most memorable game was certainly the Ice Bowl, which he said was pretty cold!
Cornelius is survived by: his son William (LouAnn) Stroo of Sheboygan, daughter-in-law Laura Mauer of Menomonee Falls, and sons-in-law, Dale (Audrey) VanEss of Elkhart Lake and Jerry (Terri) Leeman of Wilmington, NC. He is further survived by grandchildren: Michelle (Jeff) Gentine, Christi (Todd) Leonhard, Allise Cornelius, Melinda Huenink, Ryan Zoerner, and Laurel Temby, all of Sheboygan; Sarah (Jeremy) High of Wheeler, Ryan (Adrienne) Maurer of Germantown, Kristin VanEss of Sheboygan, Joel (Susy) VanEss of California, Jamie (Georgia) VanEss of California, Cassie (Mark) Kaiser of Chicago, Corey Leeman of North Carolina, and Zachary Leeman of North Carolina; fourteen great grandchildren; a brother, Jacob Stroo, and several nieces and nephews.
Cornelius was preceded in death by: his wife Janice; sons, David and Robert; daughters, Mary Van Ess and Cheryl Leeman; and three brothers: John Jr., Lawrence and William.
A graveside committal service will be held at Lutheran Cemetery, 1836 New Jersey Ave., Sheboygan, on Thursday, October 29, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. A private family service to celebrate Casey’s life will be held in the future. Memorial donations can be made in Casey’s name directly to Camp Anokijig on Little Elkhart Lake or the Sharon Richardson Hospice. The Reinbold-Novak Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be expressed at www.reinboldfh.com