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Maumee Valley lost one of its most dedicated supporters, and an important link to its historic past in Toledo, with the passing in April of Ann Stranahan.
Across the generations, the Stranahans became synonymous with the school’s history, owing to their decades of service and the number of family members who attended. The first to graduate was Ann’s future mother-in-law Virginia (Secor) Stranahan ’22; she and her husband Duane would send six children to Maumee Valley: Duane ’48, George ’49, Stephen ’53, Michael ’57, Mary ’63, and Virginia ’64.
A native of Virginia, Ann married Stephen in 1958, and they kept the tradition alive by sending their four children to Maumee Valley: sons Stephen ’81 and Daniel ’88 and daughters Frances ’78 and Abbot ’83. Mr. Stranahan had an illustrious career as a civic leader, businessman, and philanthropist in Toledo before passing away in 2019. His grandfather and great uncle founded Toledo-based Champion Spark Plug Co., which at one point was the largest spark plug manufacturer in the world.
“Steve and Ann Stranahan were absolutely Maumee Valley royalty not only because of the many number of years the Stranahans attended the school, but also for the amount of work they performed on its behalf,” said Dean Kasperzak ’76 P ’05, ’07, the executive chair of Under One Roof, the school’s last capital campaign.
“Maumee Valley has thrived for many decades because of the devotion of many families,” said Peter Stevens P ’90, ’92, who was MV’s Head of School from 1982-1990. “But none were more faithful and more supportive than Ann, her husband Steve, and the extended Stranahan family.”
Other Stranahan generations followed, including her niece Page Armstrong ’77 and her sons Max ’11 and Ben ’14 Elrod; and grandchildren Stephen Parry ’07, Virginia Parry ’09, and Sarah Parry ’13.
In addition to her MV service, she also was an active civic leader. In the early 1960s, she led the annual fund for the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. And in the late 1960s, she served on the board of the fledgling WGTE-TV, becoming integral to its successful establishment and later serving as board chair.
At Maumee Valley, she served many roles, from Board trustee and Board president to parent volunteer and fundraiser. For her tireless efforts, she was named an emerita trustee in 2009.
She was well known for her eloquence in expressing what made Maumee Valley distinct. A published poet, she helped to craft the story of Maumee Valley in numerous formats: directing a documentary about the school for WGTE’s “Toledo Stories” series; writing a history book titled 125 Years of Tradition, Leaps of Faith, and Transformation; and crafting the detailed case for support for what would become the Under One Roof capital campaign.
“You will hear this from everybody, but Ann just loved to write,” said Fred Deichert P ’12, ’14, who with wife Linda co-chaired the Under One Roof campaign. “She would hunker down with the head of school and write whatever was necessary at the time to communicate the school’s need to people.”
“Her command of the written word was unbelievable. Whether it was a report she wrote or a quote or poem she shared or in how she read something aloud,” Mr. Kasperzak said. “Just a committee meeting took on more meaning if Ann was present to read aloud something she wrote.”
Her decades-long involvement with the school, as well as experiences with nonprofit organizations across the region, gave her unmatched insight.
“There’s a term in golf called being a ‘sandbagger,’ and it’s someone who is very talented but never lets it show until the money is on the line,” said Mr. Deichert. “Ann would come to the board meeting with her knitting, keep her head down, and just knit away. She looked like this harmless grandmother. Then she would look up and ask these questions that would hammer you into oblivion because they were very insightful. You rarely had the answer to the question she was asking.”
Her last significant service to Maumee Valley came during the Under One Roof campaign, where she served a key role as a leader-at-large. The project resulted in the new Upper School (opened in January 2011) and other campus improvements. She was a featured speaker at the ribbon-cutting in May 2011, during which she read a villanelle (a 19-line poem composed in six sections) she had written to honor Gary Boehm as the building’s name was unveiled.
“Fritz Byers [alumni parent and former Board president] and I enticed her back to the campaign board because we valued her intellect and advice and can-do behavior,” recalled Hilary White P ’13, ’15. “She somewhat reluctantly agreed to do it, but you would never have known it by the effort, time, and resources she put into it. She had already done a lot for Maumee Valley. Still, when the campaign started, she was someone we turned to and she agreed to help and she jumped in with both feet.”
Without her vision and resolve, the campaign may never have started.
“The campaign occurred during the global financial crisis [2007-2008]. It was a time of trepidation,” Mr. Deichert said. “We got to a point where we were just on the fence as to whether we should go or not. Ann led the way. She said this is something we can’t afford not to do.”
“Ann was, in a real way, the heartbeat of the Under One Roof Campaign,” said Gary Boehm P ’01, ’05, Head of School during the campaign. “Everyone involved was charmed by her warmth and personality and thrilled by her wit and commitment. She kept us going through all the challenges we encountered. For her part, it seemed as if the campaign reignited her passion and commitment to Maumee Valley but, then again, perhaps it never waned.”
