Lance Kevin Strong

My heartfelt condolences to you Roger on the loss of your Dad, in the times that I met him he was a true gentleman, he will be sadly missed, thinking of you and Philippa at this sad time , kind regards Andy

Hi my name is Andrew Douglas my condolences to the family I work for the Southland Times delivering newspapers I was the one who delivers to 169 Yarrow Street every now and again he would see me and wave to me he will be sadly missed

Very sorry to hear of Kevin passing our condolences to all the family

R.I.P Uncle Kevin, will always remember the times staying with you and Aunty June and Roger and Donald in Riverton, was what I needed. Thank You. Love Barbara

A great man , who leaves us with many great memories that shall be with me for ever

Sorry i cannot make it down to Kevins funeral tomorrow as work and distance up the far north keeps me to far away. My heart goes out to you all and i will watch his special service on line.
i will miss my brother and will think of him often . I will make sure that i spend time near the sea to look back on the memories
him and i where able to gather. FAREWELL BROTHER

Jim and I and all the Aussie family are thinking of everyone on wed. Sorry we can’t be there. We will watch on streaming.
Will all miss you lots Kevin and all the fun holidays we had. Rip brother.
Bernice

Love you Uncle Kevin xx

Farewell uncle Kevin....you will be missed by many....Roger and Donald im thinking of you...sorry I couldn't be there but I was watching live stream xxx

Very sad to hear of the passing of my uncle Kevin. Thinking of you all at this very sad time. R.I.P uncle!

Sorry to hear of Kevin's passing, thinking of you all at this sad time as he will be sadly missed

I wanted to share memories of Kevin from myself and behalf of my family to say goodbye. My earliest memories of Kevin are of a tough hard working man, strong of body and mind. I remember visiting the farm and being in awe of this hard working man. He was always doing something and seemingly always at peace in his work. This was much the same when he started fishing and Gran, Kevin, Roger and Don moved to Riverton. It took me a while to see the other side of Kevin .. the compassionate, gentle and loving man. When Kevin was with Gran his gentle and compassionate side shone through. He didn't love her in a gushing smoochy way (or not that I ever saw) but rather in a way where he calmed and gave his presence to Gran. He was there for her. For me this was true of him throughout the many years I knew him. Yes, Kevin could also be hard and bloody minded. This was so very true when it came to the times that two very strong personalities clashed, one being Kevin the other being Trevor Little. At times they did battle each other but Gran would smooth the waters. Gran loved her boys equally, Trevor, Russell, Roger and Donald. Kevin showed great grace and respect for Gran when she asked him to back off, mend the clash, maintain a harmony. Trevor often didn't make this easy but Kevin's love for Gran more often than not saw Kevin being the first to seek a reconciliation and to move on. My recall of the early years were very much like that, Kevin being strong and tough but also gentle and loving. I saw more of this gentle side when Kevin started to slow down in his work and spend more time traveling and supporting Gran. I admire him for the support he gave when Gran walked the length of NZ and for the support he gave us boys when we were Rodeo'ing and competing with the horses. Kevin loved his horses and we very much enjoyed the support and encouragement he gave us when he and Gran turned up at an event. When Andrea first met the wider family Kevin embraced her right from the start as a granddaughter. Gran and Andrea had an old sole connection and Kevin made this feel normal and natural. Early in our marriage and particularly when the kids arrived Gran & Kevin became regular visitors. It became the norm for them to ring and say they would be in the neighbourhood in a few days and ask if they could stay awhile. We enjoyed these visits, Gran had Kevin off doing walks and hikes each morning, back for food and wine and then the mandatory nap ... and snoring symphony!. It was on one of these visits that Kevin offered to help us step into our first home with a small loan. At the time living in Auckland both of us working ourselves to the bone and trying to give our 3 kids a solid start to life. Without Gran & Kevin's help we really had no chance of getting our first home. We are so appreciative of this help and as with everything with Kevin it was very generous and bloody tough. The repayment terms were very Kevin-like, tough, hard but fair. Andrea & I are eternally grateful for this help. Kevin & Gran were frequently there in the early years of the kids lives. He was always kind and present in the same way he was with Gran. These are the memories I am thankful for and will always cherish. He was a good Grandad to me and a great Great Grandad to our kids. I know too that this support and kindness was not limited to just us, Kevin was there for Russell through his battles, he was always beside Gran in supporting Lexie when she was unwell and similarly so for Scott and Robyn. Things got a bit harder for Kevin after his stroke and we didn't see as much of him or Gran but when we did visit he always gave us his time and attention. It is a sad thing today to be recognising his passing. As will be true for most of us, age caught up with Kevin and reminded him of his mortality. He now gets a chance to reconnect with his life long partner and friend, he deserves this after a long life as does Gran who has been waiting patiently for him to join here. Thank you Kevin for sharing your life with us. xxx

I moved in next door to Kevin and June only a few years ago.
I introduced myself straight away, as you do, and we instantly became quite "neighbourly".
I was happy to help Kevin out wherever I could with things he needed done around the section, and he had my number in case of anything urgent, day or night.
While I kept the lawns tidy and trimmed a few bushes and trees when they needed it, it couldn't compare to what I received in return!
I was always welcome to use Kevin's trailer for Garden rubbish to the tip, (as long as he could come along for the ride!), I received grapes from the glass-house, rhubarb from the garden, apples for apple-crumble from Kevin's apple tree, and endless supply of parsley, and even quite recently, Kevin turned up to my door with a massive crayfish! Still ALIVE!! My wife was... thrilled!
There was always a cup of coffee on offer when I stuck my head in at Kevin's. Any excuse for a yarn. As you can imagine, I heard stories from the past, of family, of fishing, stories about his boats and his horses too. And Kevin always showed a genuine interest as he often asked about my kids and my work etc too.
Maybe some of my favourite memories are of the times sitting and watching several All Black games with Kevin at his place. He knew that I didn't have the Sport Channel, so it worked in both our favour having company to watch the game.
Nobody knocked on my door as LOUDLY as Kevin Strong! And only a week or two before Kevin's passing, there he was, banging with one hand, walking frame in the other, to invite me over for the All Black game later that afternoon. I went, of course.
We told some yarns, had some laughs, and yes he asked about the kids, and we watched the game. The All Blacks won.
There was something else that Kevin gave me that is hard to put into words, but you certainly recognise it when it's gone.
While I always knew that I had a bloody great neighbour in Kevin, on the 23rd of August I lost not only a neighbour but a bloody good friend too.
Kevin, you will be sadly missed.
May the fishing be favourable.

Graham Pirie