November's Everything Woman is recognized posthumously for a life well lived

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Amber Stroud Mertel was outgoing, popular, and caring, but sadly she passed away in November, 2022 at the age of 42 after a short battle with skin cancer.

Stroud Mertel had just celebrated 18 years with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, but she is probably best remembered for helping others through volunteer work across the Topeka community.

KSNT 27 News recently sat down with several friends and family members to learn about her passions and accomplishments. We tell just a snippet of her story in this month's posthumous selection for "Everything Woman."

Stroud Mertel was born in Topeka on July 27, 1980. "She was a good kid," her mother, Sandy Stroud said, "but she was ornery and then she tried to pull some stuff on me as a teenager but she didn't get away with much because she was a lot like me. So if I would do it, I assumed she was doing it…I caught her some."

Stroud Mertel also knew her future husband, Steve Mertel, when they were both teenagers. Mertel recalls..."we actually first met when we were 15 or 16 I guess working at Montgomery wards when it was still out at Westridge Mall…we both worked there together."

In her late teens, Stroud Mertel was hired by Jeremiah Bullfrogs owner Rob Fateley, and they maintained a great relationship and fundraising partnership for almost 25 years.

"She led by example," Fateley said. "I hired her as a young 18-year-old, wild, as you are at that age…and watched her mature, to become a mother and a great leader, and a great role model for women."

She completed her undergraduate studies at Washburn University, and later earned a Master's degree in healthcare leadership from Friends University.

Stroud adds..."when she graduated from college…after Parker was born…she went right back in and got her masters in 18 months, in hospital administration stuff and went to work for the VA."

Parker, who now works at bullfrogs just like her mother did, recalls watching her mom in action.

"She never needed anybody to help her. She always did everything herself and if she wanted it done right, she would do it herself."

Mertel and Stroud Mertel didn't talk for a number of years, and after running in different circles for awhile, fate made sure their paths crossed again.

"I was actually interviewing her mother for daycare. My daughter ended up going to Sandy for daycare...we had talked, and we were friends, and a lot of the things that we were interested in crossed paths, so I think I kind of started the relationship."

After a dating period, the couple went on separate business trips to Europe at the same time.
Mertel says..."we got engaged on top of the Eiffel tower and then drove and did breakfast, lunch, dinner in three different countries"

Stroud Mertel's home was soon filled with love from partner and husband Steve Mertel, daughter by birth, Parker Stroud, daughter by love, Mackenzie Mertel and her dog "Panda." Outside the home, Stroud Mertel was most known for volunteer work and fostering friendships, which were intertwined across the community.

Her close friend Faith Pearson said, "she was just a very big role model for me…someone that I wanted to be as I got older and I learned a lot from her…not just as a friend, but how to be a productive member of society and to give back is the most important thing."

Stroud Mertel was active with "Project Topeka" for 15 years, a local nonprofit that strives to eliminate hunger in Shawnee County by providing assistance to seven local food banks.
The current organization's treasurer Dan McPherron said, "She knew everyone so she was the best resource that we had to to go out and meet people and help us raise those funds that we needed."

She also helped with 'Club Blue' at Boys and Girls Club, and was known for organizing various golf tournaments like "Friends of Forbes 190th" and "Bullfrog's Karen Harkness" charity tourney.

Fateley remembers..."she was a major part of setting all the stuff up. I got lotta praise, but the reality was if I didn't have Amber doing all the hard work, the tournament would never have been as successful as it's been."

One long-running tournament raised over $135,000 for a tennis scholarship at Washburn University. Bullfrog's has started another tournament to honor Amber, and it's already brought in $30,000 for women's volleyball at Washburn in just two years.

Stroud says..."it was quite eye-opening for us to realize what a wonderful person we had raised, and she took off on her own and thrived, and did a lot for the community and we are so proud of that."

A common thread of sentiment seems to run the the fabric of so many lives…how proud Stroud Mertel would be, and how honoring her legacy pleases everyone who knew her.

Pearson says..."I think that everyone in this community would agree that she deserves this!" Sandy adds..."I didn't even realize until after she was gone, how many lives she really had touched…how many people she had helped…I wish I had known when she was still here."

Stroud Mertel cherished every daily activity, and every moment loving the people she cared about most. She passed on Nov. 19, 2022 after a quick cancer fight, and her funeral was the following week at First Presbyterian Church on southwest Harrison Street. It seems obvious to those who knew her best, that her impact set a high standard in this community that will be recognized and remembered for years to come.

If you think you know someone who should be an "Everything Woman", please go to ksnt.com and nominate them there. Again, we feature these stories on the last Tuesday of each month.