Obituary for Dr. Danny Joe Strunk MD
Dr. Danny Joe Strunk, MD., passed away on Tuesday January 18, 2022, at his home in Corbin, KY, being 79 years, 2 months, and 5 days old and was placed in the care of the Hickman-Strunk Funeral Home.
Funeral services were held Saturday, January 22, 2022, at 1:00 pm in the chapel of the Hickman-Strunk Funeral Home. Cremation followed services.
Born on Nov 13, 1942, in Lexington, Ky to Dorman E. Strunk and Mildred (Henry) Strunk, Danny attended school in Pine Knot, and graduated from Pine Knot High School in 1960, where he played basketball and met the love of his life, a sweet young cheerleader named Mary Lee (King), whom he married in 1963. He later graduated from Union College in Barbourville, KY. Danny went on to attend the University of Louisville Medical School, where he later completed his residency and was named Chief Resident in Pediatrics. During the Vietnam era he served in the United States Navy in Norfolk, VA as Lieutenant Commander and Chief of Pediatrics at the Naval Base Hospital.
Danny and Mary Lee moved to Somerset, KY in 1972, where he practiced pediatric medicine through 1989 at the Children’s Clinic. During this time Dr. Danny, as he was affectionately known, earned a reputation as being one of the best diagnosticians in the southeast and a loving, caring provider, serving as both Chief of Pediatrics and Chief of Staff at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital. After practicing medicine for a few years in other states, Dr. Strunk returned to his beloved Kentucky in 1993 to practice at Corbin Pediatric Associates in Corbin, KY until his retirement in 2018. Dr. Strunk cherished his time with the staff and families at Corbin Pediatrics and spoke often of how he couldn’t have chosen a better place to complete his career in medicine.
Danny grew up with a love of the outdoors and had a passion for fishing and music, loves he passed down to his sons, Steven and David, his grandchildren, and countless friends and others who crossed his path. The family took many vacations centered around fishing trips and outdoor adventures of all kinds. Watching the sun set over a beautiful body of water with his family or a fishing buddy, or sharing a great song, was his idea of paradise.
Danny loved his neighbors and believed strongly in giving back to the community. He mentored youth groups during the family’s time in Norfolk and Somerset, and was an active member of Corbin Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, where he served as an elder. Dr. Strunk also served on alumni boards at University of Louisville and Union College, where he was recently inducted into the inaugural class of the college’s Medical Hall of Fame, and was awarded the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s highest honor, being commissioned a Kentucky Colonel.
Danny had a big heart. He often, without fanfare, helped children and their families in numerous ways. Whether buying them things they needed but could not afford, surprising a child with a special toy, sending flowers to a mom he knew was having a tough time, or telling a good fishing story or talking about music to lighted the mood, Dr. Strunk had a special knack of knowing the right thing to do in the right moment – be it a treatment regimen or otherwise.
Danny is survived by his wife Mary Lee (King) Strunk of Corbin, sons Steven Strunk, his wife Tara, and their son, Griffin of Spring Hill, TN; David Strunk, of Corbin, David’s daughter and Danny’s granddaughter Jasmine Harrell and her husband Jonathan of Bowling Green, KY, who have blessed Danny and Mary Lee with three great-grandchildren, Leon, Everest and Thatcher. Danny was preceded in death by his father, Dorman, mother, Mildred, and brother, Douglas Strunk. Danny is also survived by his sister Judy Lee and her husband Darryl of Auburn Hills, MI. His life was made fuller through lifelong relationships with the dozens of in-laws, nephews, nieces, and other extended family he loved very much, as was theirs.
Danny lived life to the fullest, loved well, and invited all he knew to join him on the ride. One of Dr. Danny’s favorite quotes sums up his philosophy: “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”
Hickman-Strunk Funeral Home was honored to serve the family of Dr. Danny Strunk M.D.
Funeral services were held Saturday, January 22, 2022, at 1:00 pm in the chapel of the Hickman-Strunk Funeral Home. Cremation followed services.
Born on Nov 13, 1942, in Lexington, Ky to Dorman E. Strunk and Mildred (Henry) Strunk, Danny attended school in Pine Knot, and graduated from Pine Knot High School in 1960, where he played basketball and met the love of his life, a sweet young cheerleader named Mary Lee (King), whom he married in 1963. He later graduated from Union College in Barbourville, KY. Danny went on to attend the University of Louisville Medical School, where he later completed his residency and was named Chief Resident in Pediatrics. During the Vietnam era he served in the United States Navy in Norfolk, VA as Lieutenant Commander and Chief of Pediatrics at the Naval Base Hospital.
Danny and Mary Lee moved to Somerset, KY in 1972, where he practiced pediatric medicine through 1989 at the Children’s Clinic. During this time Dr. Danny, as he was affectionately known, earned a reputation as being one of the best diagnosticians in the southeast and a loving, caring provider, serving as both Chief of Pediatrics and Chief of Staff at Lake Cumberland Regional Hospital. After practicing medicine for a few years in other states, Dr. Strunk returned to his beloved Kentucky in 1993 to practice at Corbin Pediatric Associates in Corbin, KY until his retirement in 2018. Dr. Strunk cherished his time with the staff and families at Corbin Pediatrics and spoke often of how he couldn’t have chosen a better place to complete his career in medicine.
Danny grew up with a love of the outdoors and had a passion for fishing and music, loves he passed down to his sons, Steven and David, his grandchildren, and countless friends and others who crossed his path. The family took many vacations centered around fishing trips and outdoor adventures of all kinds. Watching the sun set over a beautiful body of water with his family or a fishing buddy, or sharing a great song, was his idea of paradise.
Danny loved his neighbors and believed strongly in giving back to the community. He mentored youth groups during the family’s time in Norfolk and Somerset, and was an active member of Corbin Christian Church, Disciples of Christ, where he served as an elder. Dr. Strunk also served on alumni boards at University of Louisville and Union College, where he was recently inducted into the inaugural class of the college’s Medical Hall of Fame, and was awarded the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s highest honor, being commissioned a Kentucky Colonel.
Danny had a big heart. He often, without fanfare, helped children and their families in numerous ways. Whether buying them things they needed but could not afford, surprising a child with a special toy, sending flowers to a mom he knew was having a tough time, or telling a good fishing story or talking about music to lighted the mood, Dr. Strunk had a special knack of knowing the right thing to do in the right moment – be it a treatment regimen or otherwise.
Danny is survived by his wife Mary Lee (King) Strunk of Corbin, sons Steven Strunk, his wife Tara, and their son, Griffin of Spring Hill, TN; David Strunk, of Corbin, David’s daughter and Danny’s granddaughter Jasmine Harrell and her husband Jonathan of Bowling Green, KY, who have blessed Danny and Mary Lee with three great-grandchildren, Leon, Everest and Thatcher. Danny was preceded in death by his father, Dorman, mother, Mildred, and brother, Douglas Strunk. Danny is also survived by his sister Judy Lee and her husband Darryl of Auburn Hills, MI. His life was made fuller through lifelong relationships with the dozens of in-laws, nephews, nieces, and other extended family he loved very much, as was theirs.
Danny lived life to the fullest, loved well, and invited all he knew to join him on the ride. One of Dr. Danny’s favorite quotes sums up his philosophy: “A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove... but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.”
Hickman-Strunk Funeral Home was honored to serve the family of Dr. Danny Strunk M.D.