Nearly 30 Years of Marriage Built on Foundation of Healing: Local Couple's Love Story
It was the night of Tina Strambler high school
graduation—a milestone she had fought for through 13 years in the foster care
system, through abuse, through separation from her brother, through countless
challenges that should have broken her. She walked across that stage not just accepting
a diploma, but closing a chapter on a childhood that had been anything but
ordinary.
She had no idea that her future was waiting for her in the
crowd.
That night, Roderick Strambler had come home from Sul Ross
University to watch his brother graduate. He didn't know Tina. He didn't know
her story. But when they met, something sparked.
"We hit it off instantly," Tina recalls.
"There was a spark—the kind that makes you lean closer, listen a little
harder, smile a little deeper."
Now, nearly 30 years later, Tina and Roderick Strambler are
still together—married since 1997, parents to three sons, grandparents to four
grandchildren, and living proof that love can be healing.
"I'll never forget that night," Tina says.
"That moment. That feeling of knowing deep in my gut that God had placed
him in my life for a reason."
A Love That Didn't
Come Easy
The early years weren't simple. Tina had grown up in
chaos—surviving abuse, spending most of her childhood at High Sky Children's
Ranch in Midland, and carrying wounds she was only beginning to understand.
Roderick loved her through those wounds, even the ones he didn't cause.
"He held spaces inside me that were still raw,"
Tina says. "He believed in me when I doubted myself. He protected me
without making me feel weak."
They were young, hopeful, and had almost nothing material to
their names. They both worked low-paying jobs, counting dollars, stretching
paychecks, surviving on love and determination.
"It wasn't easy," Tina admits. "We struggled
financially in ways that don't always show on the outside. Counting dollars,
choosing which bills could wait, stretching groceries, hoping the math would
somehow work itself out."
Building a Life from
Scratch
In 1996, their first son, Darius, was born. Tina was 20 years
old.
"The moment they placed him in my arms, my entire world
changed," she writes in her newly released memoir, Raised by
Strangers, Rebuilt by Love. "I felt a love I had never experienced
before—unconditional, fierce, overwhelming."
In 1997, they married. In 1998, their second son, Dedrick,
arrived. In 2001, they welcomed their third, Donovan. Three boys in five
years—a household full of energy, noise, and love.
Roderick worked his way up from a file room job at an oil
and gas company, eventually building a career that has now lasted over 30 years
with ExxonMobil. Tina worked various jobs before finding her niche in sales—a
field where her ability to connect with people became her greatest asset.
They saved. They struggled. They grew. They bought their first
tiny house—a two-bedroom, one-bath home that felt like a palace because it was
theirs. Eventually, they moved into a four-bedroom, three-bath home that felt
unreal after everything they had come from.
"We did it," Tina says quietly. "Two young
kids who fell in love after graduation night built a life out of nothing but
commitment and faith."
The Healing Power of
Love
For Tina, Roderick's love was more than romantic—it was
reparative.
"He showed me what healthy love was supposed to feel
like," she explains. "Little by little, he helped me rebuild the
parts of myself that trauma had taken. He reminded me I was beautiful inside
and out. He reminded me I was worthy even when I didn't feel it."
In her memoir, she writes about how Roderick helped her
learn to trust again, to feel safe in her own skin, to believe she deserved
good things.
"He didn't save me," she clarifies. "But he
loved me in a way that helped me save myself."
Real Love Isn't
Perfect
The Stramblers are quick to acknowledge that their marriage
hasn't been a fairy tale. There have been hard days—arguments, exhaustion,
doubt, moments when they wondered if they were doing any of it right.
"We argued, not because we didn't love each other, but
because pressure has a way of finding every weak spot," Tina recalls.
"We cried—sometimes together, sometimes alone—exhausted, overwhelmed, and
unsure if we were doing any of it right."
But through all of it, they chose each other.
"We chose forgiveness. We chose love. We chose to build
a life we never had growing up. And we did it. Together."
A Legacy of Love
Today, the Stramblers are grandparents—a role that brings
Tina a new layer of healing she didn't know existed.
"It is healing in a way that words can't
describe," she says, "watching my grandchildren experience the love,
the stability, the family foundation I worked so hard to create."
Their three sons have grown into men with big hearts and
bright futures. Two went off to college. One built a career and started a
family. All three, Tina says, are proof that cycles can be broken.
A Message About Love
In Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love, Tina reflects
on what her nearly 30-year marriage has taught her:
"Our love didn't save me because it was perfect. It
saved me because it was real. And real love—the kind that stays, the kind that
tries, the kind that forgives—can heal wounds you didn't even realize were
still open."
She hopes their story offers hope to others—especially those
who grew up in difficult circumstances and wonder if they, too, can build
lasting love.
"You can," she says simply. "I did. We did.
And if we can, anyone can."
About the Authors
Tina Strambler is the author of Raised by Strangers,
Rebuilt by Love, a memoir chronicling her 13 years in the Texas foster care
system and her journey to becoming a wife, mother, and grandmother. She and her
husband Roderick live in Midland, Texas. They have three adult sons and four
grandchildren.
Availability
Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love is available now
in paperback, hardcover, and eBook. For media inquiries, speaking engagement
requests, or interview opportunities with Tina Strambler, please contact
Contact:
Authur: Tina Strambler
Wesbite: https://tinastrambler.com/
Amazon: Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love: How Foster Care Saved My Life and Shaped My Purpose
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