Christ the King School Announces Legacy Grant

Christ the King School Announces Legacy Grant
Posted on 05/25/2021
Christ the King School and the family of long-time parishioner and school parent Pat Holzapfel Strobel announced today the creation of a new grant to celebrate families who have made long and lasting contributions to Christ the King School and Church.  

The Pat Holzapfel Strobel Legacy Grant, which will be presented for the first time at the school’s graduation on Wednesday, May 26 at 6:00pm, celebrates the legacy of Strobel, who passed away in April and who had been part of the Christ the King community almost since its founding.  She was baptized at the church in 1942, made her First Communion there in 1949, graduated from the school in 1956, was married in the Church in 1965, and sent all six of her children to Christ the King School.  

The recipient of The Pat Holzapfel Strobel Legacy Grant will be given a check for the last month’s tuition of the family’s last child at the school. Nicknamed “Pat’s Payoff,” the grant essentially reimburses the last tuition check that a family would pay to Christ the King School.

Christ the King Principal Sherry Woodman expressed her gratitude for this new gift. “I have had the pleasure of teaching Pat Holzapfel Strobel’s grandchildren and working with her children, and that meant I got to know Mrs. Strobel,” she said. “She was a source of inspiration, advice, joy, and enthusiasm that reflected her deep love for her family and this school.  I am humbled by this generous expression of that love and her family’s gift.  I know that it will provide a vivid and valuable reminder of Mrs. Strobel’s dedication to and lifetime support of Christ the King and Catholic education.”

Merrill Strobel Bohren, a 1984 Christ the King graduate, and Martin Strobel, a 1981 graduate, both children of Pat Strobel, announced the gift on behalf of the family.  That immediate family also includes children Amelia Strobel, Daniel Strobel, Margaret Strobel Pyburn, Morgan Strobel, all graduates of Christ the King School, and their father, Jerry Strobel.

“My mom’s family is interwoven into the history and fabric of Christ the King,” Bohren said. “Pat is one of 15 Holzapfel children, each of whom attended Christ the King. The school was founded in 1937, and a sister, brother, child, grandchild, or cousin of Pat’s has been enrolled nearly every year since. Even today, there are half a dozen students related to Pat at CKS. From her first days at Christ the King throughout her life, she was a passionate supporter of this school. Today, in her honor, we recognize a family that has also shown this kind of enthusiasm and support of the school.”