- Date Of Birth: February 7, 1942
- Date Of Death: September 4, 2022
- State: Massachusetts
Erik Marshall “Tim” Straw of Florence, MA passed away September 4th, 2022 at the age of 80. Born February 7th, 1942 to Cherry and George Straw, he was a lifelong resident of the Pioneer Valley. Tim graduated from Northampton High School in 1960; it was there he met his wife Joyce, marrying in 1963. Tim served honorably in the US Air Force before settling back in Florence.
After retiring in 2003, Tim kept busy with gardening, home repair, and working as a custodian at Lilly Library in Florence. He was a fixer of things – a broken lamp needing a new cord, a vacuum cleaner not working quite right – Tim could fix it. His fee for friends and family was an ice-cold Coors Light.
Tim was a skilled gardener, especially of tomatoes and peppers of all kinds.
Tim was an athlete throughout his life, playing competitive softball into middle-age. He was a New England sports fanatic, especially fond of the Red Sox and Patriots. Tim’s favorite place to watch a game was at The Office in Bay State, where he loved to have a beer and socialize with friends. Tim and Joyce loved summer, and especially Cape Cod, vacationing there for decades. Tim also loved to dance – no event could go by without him and Joyce dancing around to “Elvira”.
A man of few words, Tim was wise and funny, sweet and generous to those who knew him best. He will be dearly missed by his wife of 59 years, Joyce Ann (Biela) Straw, his daughters Sherry Krause and Krystal Kovalski and their husbands Kris and Todd, and his adored grandchildren Erika Kovalski and Kai Krause. He is also survived by his brother Tony Spaight and wife Kathy, sister Melody Pisano, sister Laurie King and husband Brian, and brother-in-law Harry Biela and wife Kolla, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his brother-in-law Frank Pisano, and his sister-in-law Joan Petcen and her husband John.
Tim loved Florence and his forever-home nestled back away from the road. He took great pride in his home and family, and his presence will be felt in so many places. To know Tim was to love him; his words of wisdom and guidance will be remembered for a very long time, and he will be greatly missed.
