Former area couple die in crash that kills 4

Published 9:00 pm Thursday, July 21, 2005

Larry and Lois Strohm sold their Martha Lake-area home in May and planned to embark on an RV adventure around the country.

Longtime Lynnwood residents Larry and Lois Strohm are shown in front of the RV they were planning to drive across the country.

But the couple died on Monday when their car collided head-on with a pickup that police say crossed the centerline on Highway 4 near Cathlamet in southwest Washington.

The occupants of the pickup truck, driver Richard Clayton Wend, 79, of Vancouver, Wash., and Kenneth Bruce Dundas, 78, of Kalama, also died, according to the Washington State Patrol.

The Strohms lived near Martha Lake and in Alderwood Manor for more than 30 years, said their daughter, Jennifer Strohm of Seattle, 33, the couple’s only child.

Larry Strohm, 62, recently retired as a chief petty officer in the Naval Reserve, based in Everett, his daughter said.

He served on an aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War, relatives said. After retiring from the Navy, he worked for Safeway for about 30 years, said Alice Buehring of Gold Bar, Lois Strohm’s sister.

Larry Strohm joined the reserve in about 1984 and served in the Persian Gulf War, relatives said.

Lois Strohm, 52, ran her own business in Lynnwood, Sew Sensational, for more than 20 years, Buehring said. She made window treatments for upscale homes “and all kinds of things that you do with beautiful material.”

The couple recently sold their home, drove to Montana and bought a recreational vehicle, Buehring said. They stayed in the Missoula area until leaving on their trip recently, towing a Ford Focus behind the RV, she said. They planned to visit relatives and friends around the country.

The Strohms were staying in Long Beach, Wash. for a sand castle festival, their daughter said. On Monday, “they were just out for a day of shopping and sightseeing, and they were making their way back home for the night” when the accident happened, she said. Highway 4 runs along the Washington side of the Columbia River.

Their westbound Focus was hit by the eastbound pickup shortly before 6 p.m., according to the State Patrol. The truck overturned, and the car caught fire.

Bad weather or speeding didn’t appear to be factors, and it was unclear whether alcohol was involved, trooper Brian George said.

Jennifer Strohm said she is planning a memorial for July 31, which would have been her mother’s 53rd birthday. The time and place have yet to be determined.

“We were close, and I’m going to miss her a lot,” Buehring said.

Reporter Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439 or sheets@heraldnet.com.