John Irving Stringfellow was born July 23, 1879 at Gallipolis, Gallia County, Ohio. He moved with the family in 1884 to Antelope County, Nebraska. On May 28, 1902, John Irving married Ida Franklin Payne at Oakdale. When his parents moved into Oakdale, John Irving remained on the family farm. About 1907, they moved into Oakdale and with his brother Will opened a hardware store. With the coming of the automobile, John Irving opened a garage with a gasoline pump. Later he opened the first Stringfellow Service Station. This became his life work. John Irving was very active in the community as well as Ida. He died while on a fishing trip to Lake Ericson in 1936. They had five children: Muriel, Mervin, Francis, Jeanne, and Glenn.
Source Unknown: Originally submitted for this website in Mar 2008