STRASBOURGER: Eugene (Gene) B. Strassburger III. Died at home in Oakland on May 17, 2021 with family. He is survived by his beloved wife Phyllis Kitzerow, brother EJ (Mona), sister Lanie, children David (Meredith), Ellen and Zach (Kate) and grandchildren Scott, Julia, Maya, Sammy and brand new grandson Elior. A funeral service will be held on Friday, May 21st at 1:30 p.m. in the Congregation of Rodef Shalom. The tour begins at 12 noon. Gene was born on November 28, 1943 to Jane and Eugene Strassburger Jr. He graduated from Linden Elementary, Shady Side Academy, Yale University (’64) and Harvard Law School (’67). He was an employee of the Honorable Henry O’Brien on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Gene will be remembered by many for his meaningful and long legal career. For the past 10 years he has served as the senior judge on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Prior to that, he served since 1978 at the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas before the Family Court and the Civil Court, including as an administrative judge and calendar control judge. He took pride in calling himself a feminist and devoted hours to the women in the legal department of the Allegheny County Bar Association and the LGBT committee. He also served on the boards of directors of PERSAD and the Women’s Center and Shelter of Pittsburgh, advised the American Law Institute’s project on family dissolution law, and helped launch the Allegheny County’s court-appointed special lawyer program. At 29, he was one of the youngest attorneys to discuss a case in the US Supreme Court. In Pittsburgh Press v Pittsburgh Commission on Human Relations, he argued – and won – that gender-based search ads discriminate based on gender. He also taught courses at the University of Pittsburgh Law School and Duquesne Law School, and represented the City of Pittsburgh on major zoning and milk pricing issues.
Family and friends will remember Gene for his terrible jokes (“How many lawyers does it take to get an ounce of sanity?”), Softball games with the Fertile Octogenarians, running several fantasy sports teams, and his love of doowop in the 1950s . We will also remember his penchant for correct grammar, his dedication to teaching his children how to play softball and golf, and his willingness to solve any problems his loved ones might face. We will miss him very much. Please send memorial donations to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Family owned and operated arrangements entrusted to Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc. schugar.com PJC
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