Mr. Theodore William Strachan's Obituary
Theodore William Strachan, of Frederick Maryland, passed away at the age of 87 on the morning of February 21, 2025.
He was New Hampshire born and raised. A proud graduate of Concord High School’s class of 1955 — a class that stayed tight over the many years — he might have stayed in Concord his whole life had he not, at the age of 18, joined the United States Navy. He trained in San Diego, California as a cryptologic technician and learned how to transcribe encrypted Soviet Morse Code transmissions. His service during the early days of the Cold War would take him to London and Morocco, where he was a lineman for the Navy's All Service - North Africa championship football team, and eventually to Cyprus and Karamürsel, Turkey, where he worked undercover for both Naval Security Group and the National Security Agency (NSA) to gather signals intelligence on Soviet military operations. This was an experience of honor and patriotism that he valued all his days. Even in his final days, struggling to speak, his service was still at the front of his mind as he whispered, “This is harder than the Navy.”
From the age of 25 to age 62 he worked hard and had a successful career in the printing industry. The family recalls the smell of the ink embedded in his clothes and the stained whorls of his fingertips.
Ted was the husband of Susan; they recently celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary. He was the father of Kevin, Kris and David. The father of three sons, he ended up with a family of daughters-in-law and granddaughters: Tina and Sophia; Trish, Krista and Alexa; and Lisa, Audrey and Megan respectively. Lucky man.
The family owes great thanks to Ashley Frenkel, who showed him care and kindness, and to the good folks of Daybreak Adult Day Services and Autumn Lake Healthcare at Glade Valley. There are good hearted people in this world who make a difference to families like ours.
A private family gathering will be held to honor Theodore. No formal memorial service is planned. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you please consider a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association.
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