Bill, Michele Stromme keeping active in community

William Stromme was born in Biloxi, Miss., as his father was in the Air Force, and later they moved to Louisiana when his dad started working for IBM. The Stromme family moved to Minnesota in 1976, with his two sisters, when his dad was transferred to Rochester with IBM. They lived in Rochester for a short time before moving to Byron when Bill was age 12.
Bill said he quickly lost his “southern accent” when he started school as some kids would give him a hard time. Bill’s 8th grade Byron football coach was Ron Albright (the DCI, “I Was Thinking” column writer and his neighbor for many years). He was on the wrestling team, and he took part in the sprint running events on the track team.
After high school Bill attended Rochester Community College (RCC) for a year, and he considered mechanical engineering but soon gave up that idea as he didn’t like math. He signed up for the Army Reserves and he went to basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. Bill said he really “enjoyed” his basic experience which most people do not! He didn’t mind going on the required runs as he was with a bunch of other guys doing the same thing.
He then went back to RCC for a second year, and he learned to play the card game 500 during that time. He then took his Army AIT training at Ft. Sam Houston, Tex., as a field medic and served his six-year commitment.
Michele (Ness) Stromme lived on an 80-acre hobby farm south of Kasson with two sisters, and she attended Kasson-Mantorville Schools. She was involved with FHA, choir and 4-H. After high school Michele attended RCC in the two-year medical secretary program. During this time she was introduced to Bill by a mutual friend, and Michele also knew how to play the 500 card game. They mentioned even though they both graduated from high school in the same year, they did not know each other. They might not have met as there was a rivalry between Byron and K-M schools.
Bill and Michele were married in June 1985 at South Zumbro Lutheran Church.
Bill worked as a cook in the IBM employee cafeteria for a couple of years. His reserve unit was in need of LPN’s as people had retired from their unit. They asked if he would consider getting this LPN training and Bill said he would provided he could go to school in this area.
He attended Rochester Area Vocational Technical Institute in the LPN program and earned his license. Bill then started at Rochester Health Care Center for a year, and then moved to Mayo’s St Marys Hospital in 1987. Bill and Michele lived south of Kasson for a short time and then moved to their current house in Kasson in 1987.
Michele worked for Mayo in Rochester for five years until their daughter Meghan was born in 1989. Life is about choices and after some discussion the Stromme’s decided that Michele would be a stay at home mom, and in 1992 they welcomed their son Trevor.
Michele started part time at Erdmans in 1993 and worked there until close to the time it was sold to Hy-Vee. Bill and Michele were able to coordinate their work schedules so one of them would be able to be home so their kids never were at daycare while growing up.
Bill worked in the Rehab department at Mayo for 12 years, where he was encouraged to enroll at RCTC to get his two-year RN degree. He later earned his BSN degree in 2013. While in school for his BSN, he did an immersion class in Minneapolis and St. Paul working with the homeless population as well as those who struggle with drug and alcohol addiction.
It was at this time he decided to step down from his supervisory role and return to working directly with patients again. He has now worked at Mayo for 36 years with 23 of those in the radiology area.
Bill and Michele originally thought they would only stay at their home in NE Kasson for five years and then move to the country, but things changed when their kids became involved with school activities. It was much easier traveling a few blocks instead of several miles to take them to events so they are still in the same house today.
When Bill and Michele were growing up their families would go on vacations each year to various places around the United States. They continued to do this with their children so they have been to many of the states, National Parks, Disney World, Branson, Washington DC, plus many others. They used to do tent camping, but have given up on this adventure. Once when they were chaperones at Sonshine, a Christian music festival in Wilmar, with kids from the church, it rained lots and the tents leaked plus the air mattresses went flat and everything got soaked.
Now they would rather go to a resort for a week with their family, and have enjoyed places in the Park Rapids, area, and Itasca Park.
Bill said he enjoys fishing and Michele likes to prepare fish, but they haven’t been able to do much of this lately. The last time they went fishing, their oldest grandson was excited to catch his first fish!
The Stromme’s are divided football team followers as Michele and their daughter are Vikings fans while Bill and their son are Green Bay fans as Bill’s dad grew up in Wisconsin. They will watch some of the games, but they do not get upset when the score doesn’t agree with their loyalty, so things do not get very intense.
Michele loves to bake and cook and she really enjoys trying new recipes. They remember only once in their 38 years of marriage that neither of them would eat a new recipe she tried, and needless to say she never experimented with that one again!
When on a road trip they will stop at different family style restaurants rather than the chain types, but they do like going to Culver’s as this is a favorite with their grandkids. When Michele has the time, she likes to read Amish theme books, and Bill prefers American History novels. Bill uses his camera to record family and church activities quite often.
Bill has been involved with the Festival in the Park parade for many years, and has been on the Festival planning committee and has been joined by their son and daughter now. Seeing that family is involved, Michele helps out where she is needed. Michele served on the K-M School board for four years, and Bill is a member of the K-M Lions.
Bill and Michele are both very involved with South Zumbro Lutheran Church as she has attended there her whole life. They have been part of the Sunday School and Vacation Bible School Program plus many committees through the years. Michele has been the part time church secretary for over 30 years, and both of them have been on the church council.
When their son was in a Christian rock band, R.I.S.E. to Life, for five years, Bill would come along and be the sound person. When COVID interrupted church services, he started assisting with the online video of the church service programs. This has been one positive thing the pandemic brought, as it has made church services available to people that cannot attend in person.
Both of their children are married and live in Kasson. Michele takes care of their two grandsons three days each week.
They like living in Kasson as their family members are close by and that is really important to them. They are fortunate to have four generations of family members living in Kasson at this time. They both feel that even though the community is growing, it still has the feel of a smaller town and not facing some of the issues of large cities. They are located close to the church they have been very involved with for many years. They appreciate the good school system which their children attended and their grandchildren will also attend in the future.
Submitted Photo William and Michele Stromme, longtime Kasson residents, pose with their son, daughter and their spouses, and grandchildren.