Funeral for Highland Park victim Stephen Straus set for Friday

One of the first funerals for one of the seven victims gunned down in the Highland Park parade shooting has been scheduled for Friday.

The service for 88-year-old Stephen Straus will be held at a synagogue in Evanston — about 15 miles from the scene of the Fourth of July massacre, according to his obituary.

Straus had attended Monday’s Independence Day parade — one of his annual traditions — without any of his family members, his grieving grandchildren said.

According to his family, Straus still took the train to his job as a financial adviser in downtown Chicago every day.

“Stephen loved to take in all that life had to offer, up to his last moments. He was remarkably sharp and fit for his age,” his obituary said.

He also loved to walk and bike daily and visit art museums and festivals right up until his death.

“Despite his age, he was taken too soon,” said his grandson Maxwell Straus.

Straus would eat dinner with his grandsons every Sunday night, including the night before his death.

“You never really imagine something like that can happen to you or your loved ones,” Maxwell said.

Straus is survived by his wife, son, four grandchildren and his brother, his obituary said.

The other victims killed in the mass shooting were identified as Kevin McCarthy, 37, Irina McCarthy, 35, Katherine Goldstein, 64, Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63, Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78, and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69.

It wasn’t immediately clear when the funerals for the remaining victims would be held.