Strege, Paul H., 1924-

Paul H. Strege was born on August 5, 1924, in Ludell, Kansas, a rural town of only 100 people. His father, the Rev. Paul J. Strege, was the pastor of Immanuel Lutheran Church in Ludell, where he served from 1920 until his death in 1946. Paul's mother was the former C. Beata Ruff, who had arrived at Immanuel in 1922 to serve as its school teacher; she married Pastor Strege the following year. Paul had two siblings: Arthur, who was born in 1929; and Ruth, who was born in 1930 and died in 1932.

Paul graduated from high school in 1942, and that fall started at St. John's College in Winfield, Kansas. In 1944, following his graduation at St. John's, Paul enrolled in the Concordia Seminary at St. Louis, Missouri. In early 1945, while attending meetings of the Local Walther League in St. Louis, Paul met Vercile Schmidt, who was about to graduate at the head of her class from Roosevelt High School in St. Louis. She later invited Paul to her graduation party, and they continued dating after Vercile entered the Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing in St. Louis.

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