Paul Alexander “Xander” Strain was a special, beautiful baby boy. He was his momma’s miracle baby. He had cherub cheeks, and his smile and laugh could light up the darkest rooms and unburden the heaviest of hearts. He loved rough housing with his brothers, anything with wheels, to dance, and he was full of curiosity and mischievous wonder.

Xander passed away unexpectedly on September 19^th, 2024, at the age of two years, nine months old in Aspen, Colorado. He brought such spirit and joy into our lives that he blew our hearts open. His family is still shocked by his life being cut so short, so soon. Xander is deeply held in the hearts of his mother and father, Erin McGrath and Paul Strain. He is terribly missed by his brothers, Bertie and Jack Strain, and his stepsiblings, Milan Ertogan, and Carl and Essie Strain.

Xander’s auntie Molly, identical twin to his mother Erin, spent time babysitting him, especially in Xander’s first year. She took him to Kensington Cabin Park to play and swing. This bench will allow her to cherish that memory, as well as serve as a marker for others that loved Xander in the broader Washington, DC, metro area, where he lived until June 2024.

Xander is still fiercely loved, and he will be missed forever.