June
25, 1906 - Jan. 27, 2009SOUTH BEND - George R. Stroup had no trouble telling you what's been the key to his living 100-plus years. "Just keep breathing," he said, laughing. "I just keep breathing. Anybody can do it." Ah, that's George. He had not forgotten to laugh at life, himself or just about anything that tickles his funny bone. He was a really hard worker and had a lot of creativity. His niece, Vada Millar, 75, moved back to the area to care for her uncle, fulfilling a promise she made years earlier to her late Aunt Edna, Stroup's wife. George Stroup founded Stroup's Welding and Spring Shop on West Edison Road, near his home. People would bring him plows and shears to sharpen. After 25 years, he sold the business and retired at 59. He and Edna began touring all 48 states, many of them several times over in a 29-foot trailer. He did what he wanted to do -- travel and golf. He used to consistently shoot in the 80s at Elbel and Erskine golf courses. A broken hip ended his golfing at age 98. George Stroup married Edna, his childhood sweetheart, and enjoyed 72 years of marriage before her death in 1996. Stroup went to a two-room Lydick School through eighth grade and never attended high school or college. He prided himself on being what he believed was the oldest living former Studebaker employee. "It was the best place in town (to work)," he said. "Nobody gave you any trouble, and they paid the best. I hated to see it close." A memorial service will be held to celebrate his life on Sat., June 27 at 1:30 p.m. at his home, 25242 Edison Rd. South Bend.