Strehlow was born as Charlotte Paula Sarah Zaremba in Stanton, Nebraska, USA, on 18 July 1908. Her parents were Rev. Emil Zaremba (1867–1944) and Marie Mayerhoff (1872–1947). Her father was born in Germany, while her mother was of German descent. She was baptized, confirmed, and married in services officiated by her father. She spent her childhood in Nebraska where her father served as pastor of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Norfolk. In 1921, the family moved to Norwalk, Wisconsin when her father received a call to St. James Lutheran Church.

In 1931, her family then moved to Wausau, Wisconsin where her father was installed as pastor to Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church, Village of Maine. On 18 July 1935, her 27th birthday, she married William Strehlow. They worked on the family farm and later started the Polar Freeze Locker Service business. They were both active members of Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church. The couple had one son, Gerald (1937–2018).

Her older sister, Edith Augusta Koch (1906–2010) passed away at the age of 104.

Strehlow passed away in Merrill, Wisconsin, USA, on 6 December 2019. She was survived by three grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.