In memory: June Strahl, GU Hall of Fame inductee and beloved coach

Published: November 30, 2021

June (Starr) Strahl, co-founder of womens intercollegiate basketball at Greenville University and a member of its Athletics Hall of Fame, died November 18, 2021. She was 98 years old.

June and her husband, three-sport mens varsity coach John Strahl, worked together to launch the womens basketball program at Greenville College (now University). June coached the team from its beginning in 1953 until 1961. In 1989, she and John shared honors as the first inductees in the Colleges Athletic Hall of Fame.

The real thrill and fun was in teaching girls and women who loved sports participation, she said at the induction ceremony. Year after year, her players made coaching a delight.

Upon news of Junes passing, GUs Chief Academic Officer Brian Hartley recalled John and June Strahl as the Universitys godfather and godmother of sports in the post-World War II era. No one influenced GC athletics more in the second half of the twentieth century than did they, he said.

June graduated from Olivet Nazarene College in 1946 and married John the following year. The pair settled in at Taylor University where he completed his undergraduate studies. June taught in the Division of Social Sciences at Taylor and managed the womens physical education program. When John graduated and enrolled in a masters program at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, June taught in area public schools.

In 1950, the couple accepted positions at Greenville College. They both taught physical education and coached. June coordinated the intramural program and coached varsity womens sports, while John coached mens varsity tennis, basketball, and baseball.

During this time, the Strahls also became the parents of two daughters and a son. After taking a hiatus from her duties at the College, June returned to the workplace in 1970 to serve as dean of women at Hillsboro High School, in Hillsboro, Illinois.

In 1975, Greenville College honored June by establishing the June Starr Strahl Outstanding Senior Womens Athletic Award. The distinction goes to women athletes who also demonstrate academic excellence, Christian character, leadership, commitment, and loyalty to GU and to its athletic program. Forty-eight athlete-scholars have received the award since its inception.

John and June Strahl shared a 50-year marriage before his passing in 2003. They raised three children, all GU graduates: Jill (Strahl 75) Mohnkern, Judy (Strahl 77) Keffer, and Johnny Strahl 83.

Most recently, June resided at The Garlands Supported Living in Greenville, where she still acknowledged her joy in sports. When asked about her hobbies, she replied, I like baseball (the St. Louis Cardinals) and the Blues.

Visitation and a memorial service for June Strahl will take place Saturday, December 4, at the Greenville Free Methodist Church, 1367 Illinois 140, Greenville, Illinois. Visitation is scheduled for 10 am in the church sanctuary; a funeral service, also in the sanctuary, will follow at 11 am.