Lieutenant Colonel John Bowen"Toby" Strange, United States Marine Corps (Retired) passed away at the age of 81 on June 8, 2025. He was born on April 1, 1944, in Washington, D.C. and was raised in Arlington, Virginia. He was born to Captain Robert O. Strange, United States Navy and Martha Bowen Strange. As a young adult Toby enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1963 with the military occupation of assaultman whose duties included carrying and employing a flamethrower. Toby completed the School of Infantry and was assigned to Military District Washington at the Marine Barracks at 8th and I. He served on the 8th and I Guard Force to include guarding Camp David and other locations, sometimes accompanying President Lyndon Johnson. Toby was accepted into the Enlisted Commissioning Program and graduated from the Basic School in Class 6-68, which is one of the most combat decorated Basic School classes in the history of the Marine Corps. Upon graduating, Toby was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in 1968. He was assigned as a rifle platoon commander with Company G, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines and joined the unit that had already been engaged in Vietnam. Toby served as a platoon commander and interim company commander throughout his Vietnam War tours that experienced heavy fighting and participated in large scale combat operations. He returned from Vietnam in 1970 and continued his 29-year military career. He served as a staff platoon commander at The Basic School; company commander for Company H, 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines; Commanding Officer of the Marine Detachment aboard the USS Independence; Instructor at Canadian Armed Forces Command and Staff College in Toronto, Canada; Assistant Operations Officer for the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade; Marine Corps Liaison with the United States Army's Aviation and Missile Command. Toby graduated with a BS of Science from Old Dominion University.  It was during his time in Quantico, VA while instructing at The Basic School that he met his wife Judith Jarman Strange. They were married in 1972. Lieutenant Colonel Strange retired from the Marine Corps in July 1992. His personal decorations include the Silver Star, the Bronze Star Medal with a 'V' device for Valor, three Purple Heart Medals, the National Defense Medal, two Navy Unit Commendation Medals, three Meritorious Unit Commendations Medals, two Navy Expeditionary ribbons, the Republic of Vietnam Civil Action Unit Citation, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star, the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, six Sea Service deployment ribbons, two Navy "E" Ribbons, and the Combat Action Ribbon. Upon his retirement from the Marine Corps, he worked with Tec Masters Incorporated and later Quantitech Incorporated. He continued to work extensively with the United States Army's Aviation and Missile Command on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama.  He was inducted into the Madison County Hall of Heroes in 1992.  Toby continued to serve after his civilian career ended by volunteering at the Madison County Senior Center with his woodworking and storytelling skills. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Judy; two children, John Strange Jr. (Mindy) and Michael Strange (Allyson); one grandson, Mason Strange; his brother Robert "Bob" Strange and sister Georgia "Candy" Gerstein; with many nieces and nephews. He was a devoted husband, father, and sibling. He consistently demonstrated this by his unselfishness, dedication, and reliability.

Toby stood out as a charismatic and engaging storyteller along with being an avid outdoorsman. He loved to hunt and fish throughout the year and always tried to maximize his time with his friends and family outdoors. He dearly loved his pets to include the nine hunting dogs he owned over the years. He loved to sit on the porch, grill, and enjoy a cold beer. He was a master griller who enjoyed providing great meals for his family. He became an avid gardener and loved tending to his cucumbers and tomato plants. He was one of a kind and will be dearly missed due to the indelibly positive impact he had on all of our lives.

Visitation will be held at 1 pm and the funeral will be held at 2 pm on 14 June at Berryhill Funeral Home at 2305 Memorial Parkway NW, Huntsville, Alabama 35810. Burial will be at Arlington National Cemetery with full Military Honors at a date to be determined later. In Lieu of flowers, donations may be made to SEMPER FI & AMERICA'S FUND .   Click HERE to donate.

Berryhill Funeral Home is assisting the family.