Newborn son of Benjamin and Ashley Strait, Ezra Joe was born prematurely at 35 weeks on May 2, 2023 at 9:44 pm. He weighed 3 pounds 3.1 ounces and was 17.84 inches long. He gave us the gift of his life for four days, 14 hours, and 34 minutes. In his brief life, he heard his mommy and daddy sing to him, the sound of his big sister’s voice, passages from the Bible, and experienced the unconditional love of his family. He was baptized and confirmed on May 4, 2023.
He passed from his mother’s arms and into the arms of Jesus, while being sung to by his parents on May 7, 2023 at 12:18 pm at Mott Children’s Hospital. He fought so hard, and now his battle is won. He is healed and whole, with no more pain or suffering.
In addition to his parents, he is survived by his big sister, Iva Jo; grandparents, David & Mary Lou Strait, Matthew & Tamara Mead; great-grandparents Ina Strait, Michael Miller, Sandra Crandall, Paul & Kathy Adams; aunts and uncles, Jennifer & Derek Norton, Mark Mead, Jonathan Mead; cousins Evelyn Norton, Josiah Norton; Godparents, Angie Asperger and Joe McKeone, and many great aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Special thank you to the nurses and physicians at Mott Children’s Hospital NICU, especially Chelsea L. and Sarah K.
Funeral services will be held Friday, May 12, 2023 at 11:00 am at Christ the King Catholic Church in Ann Arbor, with visitation from 10-11 am. Burial will be at Old St. Patrick Cemetery in Ann Arbor. Memorial contributions may be made to a GoFundMe site set up to help the family. Arrangements were entrusted to Cole Funeral Chapel in Chelsea.
Ezra Joseph David Strait Mass of Christian Burial, Friday, May 12, 2023, 11:00 AM - YouTube (Note: service starts at 4:55 on the timeline. Also, the title screen shows a Sunday Mass, but the video is correct)
Click here to watch the slideshow of pictures of Ezra's life