Charles A. Stryker, III

Charles was born in Princeton, New Jersey on January 14, 1940, to Ann Finnegan and Charlie Stryker. The Finnegan and Stryker families had lived in Princeton for two generations and he was proud of this connection. He grew up in the post war years, first in barrack housing and later at 6 Fisher Avenue in a home built by his father and uncles. His dad worked for the U.S. Post Office and his mother was a homemaker. It was a boisterous Irish Catholic home with siblings Bill, Suzanne, Cathy and Michael. Charlie graduated from Princeton High School in 1957 and enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. Luckily, he was stationed for three years just outside of London and travelled Europe on the RAF Mildenhall basketball team. He was always playing sports especially baseball and basketball. He caught the golf bug caddying at the elite Princeton Springdale Golf Club. After his four-year Air Force service, he worked and saved to go to college. A friend introduced him to FSU which led him to the campus. He loved history and majored in International Affairs with a concentration in U.S. history. Working hard, he was able to graduate in less than 3 years. At FSU, he met Laurey Tripp on a blind date and began a fulfilling 58-year journey together. After graduating from FSU, Charles started his marketing career. He spent 20 years as a sales executive with Xerox Corporation and another six leading Apple’s Florida’s education market. Florida State University has been a big part of his life. Football tickets for 51 years and basketball for 47, there were many good times with friends and family rooting for the teams. The family lived in Tallahassee for 20 years, raised their two daughters, Nicole Keating and Erin Lee, as FSU superfans. In Tallahassee, he also became a high school basketball referee for 20 years which kept him in shape and connected to a game he loved. Charles left the corporate world for academia and pursued an M.A. in History at USF. He spent 15 years teaching U.S. history at Hillsborough Community College and USF Sarasota Manatee. He thoroughly enjoyed teaching and influenced many students beyond his subject area with his encouragement and life experiences. Charlie is an avid reader of history and regularly provides context and facts for his family and friends, making him a sought-after Trivia contestant. Charlie has always been a volunteer with political campaigns and community projects. He took his civic duties very seriously and made a difference. He mentored students, read to preschoolers, led organizations and served on Pierian and Ringling Lifelong Learning boards. He was a doer, and many benefited from his commitment to anything he embraced. At 85, he felt so blessed to have seen his daughters Nicole and Erin thrive, raise families and bring Allan and Kevin into our family. Grandchildren Karly, Kelly and Conrad gave him confidence that the next generation can do better. He was at peace with his life, a loving family, and still a great short game. He is survived by his wife, Laurey, Daughter Nicole Keating and son in law Kevin Keating, Orlando; Daughter Erin Lee and son in law Allan Lee, Alexandria Virginia; Grandchildren Karly, Kelly and Conrad. Sisters Suzanne Meagher, Cathy Brennan and Bob Brennan; Brothers Michael Stryker and sister-in-law Barbara Stryker; Bill Stryker (deceased) and sister-in-law Kathy Stryker. In lieu of flowers, donations are suggested to Season of Sharing – Community Foundation of Sarasota County and our PBS station WEDU. Services are Monday, March 10 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (7900 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota) at 11:00 a.m. followed by internment at the Sarasota National Cemetery (9810 Clark Road).

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Charles A. Stryker, III

January 14, 1940 - March 1, 2025