GENTRY — Ric Stripling, who co-owned and operated the Apple Crest Inn in Gentry as a home for adults with disabilities, died Oct. 1 at the age of 67.
He was a victim of the covid-19 pandemic, according to his wife Debbie Stripling, who co-owned and operated the home.
Stripling had a passion for serving adults with disabilities, according to his friends. He and Debbie were retired from Pathfinder, Inc. where she served as director and he served as director of transportation. He was a former Special Olympics volunteer coach, a board member of Ability Tree in Siloam Springs, a member of Civitan Club in Siloam Springs, and a founder of a ministry for adults with disabilities. He also served on the Gentry Parks Advisory committee.
Ric became sick after one of the four individuals living in their home contracted the virus and brought it home, Debbie said. At first, the couple didn’t realize the individual was sick because his only symptom was fatigue. Another individual in their home, as well as their daughter and son-in-law also contracted the virus, she said. They recovered, but Ric had some underlying health conditions that made it difficult for him to fight the infection, she said.
Debbie said she plans on continuing the couple’s work caring for adults with disabilities at the Apple Crest Inn.
“It’s not really a job, we just love that and we love them ” she said.
Ric discovered his passion for working with adults with disabilities in 2003, when Pathfinder, based in Jacksonville, asked Debbie to start a new skills training center for adults with disabilities in Northwest Arkansas, she said. Prior to that, Ric worked for most of his career in sales, she said.
Pathfinder provides prevocational and vocational skills training for individuals with disabilities, according to the organization’s website, pathfinderinc.org .
“He left (sales) to come help me,” she said. “That just opened up a new passion for him working with the disabled.”
Ric retired as transportation director in 2016, according to Ashley Hammer, Pathfinder director of adult development programs for Northwest Arkansas.
“He did so much more than his title gives him credit for,” she said. “He not only managed a fleet of drivers, but also assisted with transporting clients to and from the day program, helped with Special Olympics, family food baskets, supervised special client activities on weekends and assisted with overall day-to-day operations.
Ric was always generous and compassionate, Hammmer said.
“I can’t tell you the number of families and staff that he touched while working at Pathfinder,” she said. “He will be truly missed in the community and at Pathfinder.”
Ric enjoyed coaching his cousins in baseball as a young man and when the couple came to Northwest Arkansas, they became Special Olympics coaches, Debbie said. Ric coached softball, volleyball and track and field, she said.
“He loved coaching, he loved mentoring young people,” she said.
Ric was a tremendous advocate for the special needs community, Pathfinder clients and Special Olympics athletes, according to Donna Kilmer, of Special Olympics Arkansas.
“He was always a great example of what we try to teach our athletes and that is just doing your very best, encouraging each other and supporting one another,” she said. “He always made sure his athletes knew they were the best and they were special and they could do anything they set their minds to. All-in-all, he was a wonderful man and we are just so appreciative of all the years and hours he gave to Special Olympics Arkansas and to his athletes.”
After their retirement, Ric and Debbie purchased the Apple Crest Inn, a former bed and breakfast, in 2016 with the idea of housing the adults who were already living with them in Rogers, according to real estate agent Joshua Hagan. Ric would go on to become a real estate agent, working under Hagan, who serves as a realtor team leader at Keller Williams Realty.
Although adults with disabilities are a segment of society that are often overlooked, Ric and Debbie went out of their way to not only provide them a place to live but help them live life to the fullest, Hagan said.
“(Ric’s) life was spent making other lives better,” he said.
Ric and Debbie served on the Ability Tree board for a two-year term, according to founder and director Joe Butler. Ric’s experience and connections in the disability community were very helpful and he gave of his time and finances as well, Butler said. It was especially important to Ric that people with disabilities be included in church, he said.
“(Ric and Debbie) just cared for others, loved their neighbors and would do anything to help people, especially those in need,” Butler said.
Ric and Debbie first came to Siloam Springs Civitan Club as special speakers then came back and joined the club, according to club president Doris Henderson and president elect Dixie Shoptaw. Civitan International is a service organization with an emphasis on helping people with developmental disabilities, according to the organization’s website, civitan.org .
Ric held the office of treasurer and the couple worked tirelessly for the club, Shoptaw said. He was a very strong leader and participant in the club, always willing to do extra jobs, such as washing the dishes at the club’s annual soup sampler, Henderson said.
Ric also helped establish Embrace Ministry through Northwest Church in Bentonville, according to Darrell Watts, retired staff pastor and school administrator. Embrace began as a Sunday school program for adults with disabilities but because they often lacked transportation, attendance was poor at first, Watts said.
Instead, worship leaders began providing faith-based social time at Pathfinder, where clients could play Bible-based games and ask questions if they were interested, he said.
Watts described Debbie and Ric as caregivers at heart.
“He loved people, he loved God, and he saw making a better life for other people something that was an important part of his life,” Watts said.
Janelle Jessen may be reached by email at [email protected] .