Memorial

Steven Edward Strong was born in Cheyenne Wyoming on April 22, 1947. He died after a long struggle with Alzheimer’s disease in Greeley, Colorado, on September 13, 2026. Steve grew up in Ankeny, Iowa, on a farm with a great sledding hill and bountiful lilacs and raspberries. His father Edward worked at John Deere and his mother Josephine trained as a nurse and worked as an administrative assistant at the VA. 

Steve had a storied career with several phases beginning as a mechanical engineer with John Deere. Then transitioning into education, he taught math in classrooms across Iowa. And as the field of computer science was emerging, Steve went back and got a degree in computer science. This eventually led him and his family to Silicon Valley where he spent eight years working for Apple computer. Steve rounded out his career teaching math and Computer Science at Washington High School in Cedar Rapids and then as a professor of Computer Science at Cornell College, Mt. Mercy College and The University of Iowa. 

Steve was curious and nerdy and picked up all kinds of skills over the years. He played guitar and banjo and loved to sing and harmonize with his daughter, Gretchen. He was an accomplished woodworker who built everything from cabinets to timber frames with his wife, Carol. Steve also rode his bike across Iowa, California and Colorado. Steve cared about things being fair and believed in the promise and importance of investing in children and communities. Above all else he saw himself as a teacher, father and husband. 

Steve was preceded in death by his parents, Edward and Josephine Strong, and is survived by his wife, Carol Strong; daughter, Gretchen Morgan, son-in-law Stephen Morgan and grandchildren Henry (21) and Sylvie Morgan (18), as well as his sister, Kathie. 

Services celebrating Steve will be held at Cedar Memorial Park Chapel of Memories in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, October 3, at 11:00 am. Followed by a gathering of friends, food and music at the home of Dan and Kathleen Reyner.  Please reach out to the family for details if you want to join. 

We are full of joy knowing that Steve is free from his disease and fear, and we expect that he is now spending his days in water gun fights with his parents, finding his bluegrass and woodworking heroes, and riding his unicycle.