March 21, 1934-Oct. 23, 2005
The Rev. Wanda Faye Prinzing-Stroup, 71, died Oct. 23 from liver cancer in Grass Valley, Calif.
She was born March 21, 1934 to William Clyde Smith and Beulah Elizabeth Sapp-Smith in Oklahoma City, Okla. The family resided in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas before moving to Oregon. She graduated from Klamath Union High School in 1952.
At 16, she accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior and was baptized at the Klamath Falls Assembly of God. In 1952, she attended Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Mo., to study for the ministry. She then attended Bethany Bible College in Scotts Valley, Calif.
She met Lowell Prinzing, who was the son of the pastor, while attending Klamath Falls Assembly of God and they married in 1955.
The Prinzings pastored at churches in Placerville, Lodi, La Mirada, and Los Gatos, Calif. as well as churches in Sequim, Wash. and Sweet Home, where Pastor Prinzing died in 1981.
The couple raised five children and are survived by Mark Prinzing, Rodney Prinzing, Guy Prinzing all of Bend, Kelley Reynolds of Maui, Hawaii, and Stacey Thiel, of Juniata, Neb.
Following her husband’s death, she worked at the Northern California and Nevada District Office in Scotts Valley, in various departments for 21 years eventually heading the insurance department. In 1997 she met and married Dr. Jerry Stroup, pastor at the Church on the Rock in Grass Valley and later merged with Christian Life Center also of Grass Valley.
Dr. Stroup had six children of his own. They now have a combined family of 11 sons and daughters and 25 grandchildren. Besides her children, Mrs. Prinzing-Stroup’s greatest joy was her fellow Christians and members of the churches they ministered. She also loved to shop and travel around the world.
In addition to her children, she leaves behind six brothers and sisters: Douglas Smith, of Battle Mountain, Nev., Opal Smith, of Klamath Falls, Vera Higley, of Elmira, the Rev. Joan Bard, of Fernadina, Fla., Bill Smith, of Keno, and Donald Smith of Phoenix. She was preceded in death by two sisters, Joann Smith and Joyce Bentley.
Funeral services were Oct. 29 at the Christian Life Center in Grass Valley. A committal service was held at grave side at Lewis Cemetery overlooking Foster Lake in Sweet Home.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that a contribution be made to the Christian Life Center Youth Center, care of Christian Life Center, 13010 State Hwy 49, Grass Valley, CA, 95949.