Maurice L. Strait

Maurice Linford Strait, affectionately known as ""Boze"" to his family and friends, was born to Seth and Ada Strait on March 15, 1923 in a small town on the South Dakota prairie. That nickname was given to him by his two brothers, Clint and Russ, who were 15 and 13 years older than him, and whom he loved and admired all his life. Boze's father Seth was a born entrepreneur with little formal education, but lots of common sense, business smarts, and a strong work ethic, characteristics he passed onto his sons. Always seeking new business opportunities, Seth made a trip in 1928 that would have momentous impact on his family. He visited family in Colorado who were having success cutting timber, something Seth had experience with years earlier in Canada. In 1929, the first year of the Great Depression, Seth moved his family to Copper Spur, Colorado.There, they joined his sister and husband to help with the business cutting logs for telephone poles. Boze always had fond memories of those years even though there were many hardships. He attended a one room school house and helped his mother by hauling water and doing other chores as his father and older brothers fell and split timber that were hauled by skid horses. By the 1930's, Seth and family moved to Deckers, Colorado to begin a new sawmill business. In time, they aquired their first employees and added railroad ties and mine shoring timbers to their product line. They were able to buy their first truck, which Boze learned to drive as soon as he was old enough. When he was in his early teens, the Strait family moved to Aurora, then a town with a small population of 3, 000. Strait Lumber got its first business license in 1936. While his older brother's ran the new store, Boze's job was to unload rail cars of lumber and cement, often by hand, and truck them to the yard or job sites. Young and strong, Boze enjoyed the hard work, and missed it when his brother Clint moved him into the office to learn the operations and financial side of the business. With the outbreak of World War II, everything changed. Brother Russ went into the Navy. Boze was drafted into the Army. He hoped to fly airplanes, but was assigned to the infantry. Because of his skills driving a truck, he spent the war shuttling American troops in convoys into combat zones in Europe, then, after the Allied victory, hauling German prisoners to internment camps. He never talked much about these years, but he was proud to have served. When he returned in 1946, those who knew him then said he left as a boy and returned as a man. In 1948, Boze married Joyce Davis, who was his lover, friend and companion for 62 years. Together they raised their three children, Cynda, Mark and Jan, and eventually had 7 grand children, 9 great grandchildren. The post-war years were busy for Strait Lumber. The business grew as houses went up and Aurora's population soared. With the business established and successful, the Strait brothers were able to contribute to civic development, sponsoring community and chamber of commerce activities, such as the first electronic scoreboard at the new high school football field. With the freedom of finacial success, they were able to pursue some of their personal interests. Realizing a childhood dream, Boze learned how to fly a plane and would take the family on cross country trips. He invested in Centennial Race track and enjoyed watching the horses and the ambience of the track. He was a 50 year Bronco season ticket holder who weathered the first games with Joyce, freezing their butts in the old DU stadium when the Broncos had vertical stripes on their socks. He liked to wager on sports, but he always had the good sense not to ""bet the farm"". Through the years, the Valley Country Club became like a second home. He developed a passion for golf, a sport he excelled at and enjoyed, especially when there was some money riding on his score. Highlights of his career were playing in a Pro Am with Tony Lima and movie star James Garner, and when he and Charlie won the Birdie Bash Tournament and they partied all night. He played his best under pressure. Most days he could be found either on the golf course or in the Men's Grill, playing a game of Gin in the smoke filled room, slapping down his cards. There he formed many lasting friendships. The most important thing in Boze's life was his family, especially Joyce, truly the love of his life. Like his father, he was a disciplinarian, but he was a good dad. His kids remembered that when there was a crisis, he was always there to help them. They could depend on him. His happiest moments were holidays and other occasions when he was with all the generations of his family. When their children were grown and raising their own families, Boze and Joyce travelled the world together – throughout Europe, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand and the Greek Isles. Often they were accompanied by Charlie, Boze's best friend who first introduced him to Joyce. They shared adventures, good times, and the rich variety of other cultures. Due to his illness, Boze's last years were tough and challenging. But he was courageous and adjusted as he had to other hardships, like those in his childhood. Unable to go to the club and play golf, he became a voracious reader. Always a proud and independent man, no matter how weak he felt, each day he would get up, take a shower, shave, comb his hair, and put on his very best clothes. And even after he retired, every Monday Boze would go to Strait Lumber to sit at his desk and do a crossword puzzle. His son Mark would be nearby running the business. It would be like the old days when he was with his brothers. In the final days, his family was by his side. As he slipped away, everyone marveled how Joyce's voice and touch seemed to comfort him. On Monday, Sept. 20, Boze passed on. He was at peace, and grateful for a long and happy life.