Winners of the Week

Winner of the Week: Frank Strukel, D.D.S.
This past Monday, my Dad, Frank Strukel, passed away at the age of 77 of a heart attack. Dad is pictured here with his little girl, Bonnie, who is also my dog. Dad loved Bonnie. Dad grew up poor in Warren, Ohio. His parents were rough on him and Dad didn't have many of the things that other kids had. That surely wasn't the case for the way Dad treated me. He was a loving father who did everything he could to make me and my brother happy and comforted.

Dad graduated from Hiram College and then from the Ohio State University College of Dentistry. After he graduated, Dad practiced dentistry in Dallas, Texas and then came home to start his own practice in Massillon, Ohio. He practiced dentristry for 50 years. Not too long after he started, one of his patients introduced a young lady named Mary Nemeth to my Dad. The two dated and fell in love. They celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008 on April 20th.

I will post more about my Dad in the next few days.

My other Winner of the Week is Donna Mumford.
Donna was Dad's home health care aide the last two years. Dad had diabetes and lost his ability to walk almost five years ago. Donna was an angel to Dad. She treated Dad with so much care. She helped keep him mentally active and often made him laugh. She made the last two years of his life pleasant. Dad was dealing with much more pain than he would ever let us know.