Mervyn Frank Strauss, Jr.

Mervyn Frank Strauss, Jr., of West Hartford, Connecticut, passed away peacefully on March 9, 2026, at the age of 100. Born on August 21, 1925, in San Francisco, California, he lived a century defined by curiosity, service, and creativity.

After serving in the United States Navy from 1945 to 1946 as an Electronics Technician’s Mate, Third Class, Mervyn earned a degree in chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, where he photographed campus life for the student newspaper, The Daily Bruin, and participated in the ski club. Following his move to Connecticut, he continued his education at the University of Hartford, earning a degree in mechanical engineering. He became a registered Professional Engineer, Land Surveyor, and Landscape Architect in Connecticut. He founded Strauss Engineering Associates and built a respected career as a forensic engineer and land surveyor. A charter member of the Connecticut Association of Land Surveyors, he served as its president from 1969 to 1971.

Mervyn’s lifelong passions for art and photography brought him deep joy. He built a darkroom in the family home and taught his children, Kathy and Alan, to develop black-and-white photographs. He later became an accomplished watercolor artist, continuing to take painting classes and create art into his 100th year. An avid sailor with his wife Lois, he kept their boat in Mystic and enjoyed many years exploring the waters of Long Island Sound. He volunteered for many years as a docent at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford, sharing its collections with visitors of all ages, and later contributed articles to the Docent Dialogue. He was also actively involved with the Farmington Valley Arts Center and remained a devoted member of Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford.

Mervyn met Lois Kaufman in 1951 at a meeting of the Tall Tippers Club in Los Angeles. They married on June 20, 1952, at the Beverly Hills Hotel and honeymooned at the Hotel del Coronado. After beginning their life together in Los Angeles, they moved to Connecticut in 1954, where they shared a love of travel, opera, and theater for nearly 65 years. He was predeceased by his parents, Mervyn F. Strauss, Sr. and Helene Merber Strauss, his sister Sandra Jean Frank, and his beloved wife Lois Kaufman Strauss. He is survived by his daughter Kathy M. Strauss, his son Alan M. Strauss and daughter-in-law Lisa Strauss, his granddaughters Stephanie Rosen and Jennifer Strauss, and his great-granddaughter Phoenix Aniyah Crowder. He will be remembered for his sharp intellect, quiet warmth, and enduring love of art and learning.