Gregarious and 'full of joy': Lutheran pastor killed in Milwaukee crash remembered for strong faith, devotion to family

A Lutheran pastor who died when a speeding driver ran a red light was remembered as a devoted father and an outgoing, deeply faithful person.

The Rev. Aaron M. Strong, discipleship pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in downtown Milwaukee, was killed Wednesday morning when a driver T-boned his car at North 10th and West Wells streets, church leaders said. Strong, 40, had been headed to the church office.

Jose M. Silva, 22, of Milwaukee, was charged Friday with second-degree reckless homicide. Authorities estimate he was going 74 mph seconds before the crash.

"Pastor Strong was a person that was full of joy," said the Rev. Brian Hackmann, outreach pastor at Grace. "He was full of life. He had a smile on his face, an infectious laugh. He was a person that was pretty easy to get along with."

Strong connected with people of all backgrounds, from college students to those in his adult education ministry, and greeted congregants by name.

"He had the love of Jesus in his heart in a big way," Hackmann said. "He wore his faith on his sleeve."

Started WELS church in Las Vegas

The son of a pastor himself, Strong was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, and grew up in both Kewaskum and the Twin Cities area. He attended Martin Luther College, also in Minnesota, and Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary.

"He was just a gregarious, great guy. Super friendly, outgoing," said his friend, the Rev. Dustin Blumer of Amazing Love Lutheran Church in Frankfort, Illinois. "He loved the Lord, but he was just a real person who anyone would enjoy."

As pastors in the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, or WELS, Blumer and Strong were classmates in both college and seminary.

After graduating from seminary in 2008, Strong was assigned to start, or "plant," a church in Las Vegas. He led a search for land and gathered people for the congregation.

"He had a personality that seems to have drawn people in," said the Rev. Tom Unke, the church's current pastor.

Strong led Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church in its first service in 2009, operating out of a storefront, Unke said.

The congregation began with 60 to 70 members and has since grown to close to 300. The church moved into its own building and is now planning another building project, Unke said.

"He was the one who came along and got us started," Unke said. "And if it weren't for his efforts, starting this mission, we wouldn't be the large and growing congregation that we are today."

One congregant told Unke of Strong's impact. Through conversations with Strong, the man turned around his life and now attends church weekly and runs the audio-visual system, Unke said.

In 2015, Strong transferred from Las Vegas to Grace Lutheran in Milwaukee.

There, he had big ideas about how to bring more people into the church, and he was willing to try things that hadn't been done before.

"If there was a way that we could serve people, that we could get to a new group of people, he was willing to do it," Hackmann said.

Strong also sang in the choir on his days off and had a knack for technology, Hackmann said. At home, he was a talented handyman who'd renovated his kitchen.

Strong leaves behind a wife, a teacher at a local Lutheran school, and two children.

"He loved his family like nothing else. It was Jesus first and family second," Hackmann said.

Bauman: It could have been your loved one

Just after 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Strong was driving northbound on North 10th Street with a green light when another driver heading eastbound on West Wells Street ran a red light and struck him, according to a medical examiner's report.

The force of the collision moved both vehicles east, where they struck four parked cars, police said.

Firefighters extricated Strong from the vehicle and took him to Froedtert Hospital, where he died, the report said.

Investigators noted extensive damage to Strong's vehicle: crushed driver's side doors, multiple broken windows and damaged roof, hood and fender.

Milwaukee Ald. Robert Bauman condemned the reckless driving that police say caused the crash. He said he encountered the crash scene and "the mangled pile of vehicles" about 15 minutes after it had occurred.

"I have driven through that intersection thousands of times over the years, and that victim could have been me, one of my loved ones, or you or someone you love," Bauman said in a statement. "It is unconscionable that anyone can simply ignore a red light at high speed and play vehicular ‘Russian Roulette.’"

Those at Grace Lutheran are comforted by their steadfast faith and the outpouring of support they have received since the crash.

"It's heartwarming to know how people loved him, and how he was able to reach people," Hackmann said.

Funeral services will take place at Grace Lutheran Church, 1209 N. Broadway. Visitation will take place 5 to 8 p.m. Oct. 18 and the service is set at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 19, with a reception to follow in the Grace Center, 250 E. Juneau Ave.

//A GoFundMe started by members of the church raised $60,000 within two days of launching.

Contact Sophie Carson at (414) 223-5512 or scarson@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @SCarson_News.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Grace Lutheran pastor Aaron Strong remembered for deep faith