Obituaries
Richard George Strippel, 85
February 13, 2015
Richard George Strippel, 85, of East Petersburg, formerly of Chatham, NJ, passed away peacefully on Friday, February 13, 2015 at Landis Homes. Richard was born in New York City in 1929 and was the son of the late Otto Strippel and Bertha (Kolbe) Strippel. He was married for more than 54 years to Doris Marie (Varklet) Strippel. Richard was the father of Carol Anne (Strippel) Wilson and Christopher Strippel, and grandfather of Scott Strippel.
Richard was a Public Relations executive and retired from the New Jersey engineering firm, Foster Wheeler Corporation, in 1996. He was the author of Amelia Earhart – The Myth and the Reality, a book cited as a seminal work regarding the crash of the female pilot’s plane. He was working on a sequel, Amelia Earhart – A Reality Check. He wrote numerous articles about Earhart for many publications, and after retirement served as a public speaker on the topic.
Richard earned a Bachelor of Arts from Colgate University in Hamilton, NY in 1951 and pursued a graduate degree in public relations. He was a Second Lieutenant in the Air Force and served in Germany during the Korean War.
Richard enjoyed building radios and was an amateur radio enthusiast. He combined work and pleasure for several years, writing a column on amateur radio for Popular Communications. He also was an avid reader, particularly books about World War II.
Friends are invited to attend the memorial service on Wednesday, February 18, 2015 at 11AM at the East Bethany Chapel at the Landis Homes Retirement Community, 1001 E. Oregon Rd., Lititz, PA. Please omit flowers, making contributions in Richard’s memory to Hospice and Community Care, 685 Good Drive, Box 4125, Lancaster, PA 17604-4125 or to the Caring Fund at Landis Homes Retirement Community at the above address for Landis Homes.
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Condolences to the Family
February 20, 2015
Dear Mrs. Strippel and kids; EVERY time I looked across the street at ‘your’ house, I send up a prayer of thanks for you helping my Mom through my Dad’s passing. She was so thankful for your chats and knowing you were there. Love to you. Amy Denecke
February 20, 2015
Doris and family: I am so sorry I only learned of this on 2/19, or I would have been at the Landis Homes service. I understand that Richard frequently asked about me after I retired. I do hope his passing was peaceful for him. Take care of yourself and know that he loved you very, very much – he was always talking about how lucky he was to have you as his wife. Be well, my friend.
Pat Stauffer
February 18, 2015
Dear Doris,
My thoughts and prayers are with you and the family as you grieve the loss of Richard: husband, father, grandpa, friend. I wanted to attend the service but had to work Wednesday. I keep going by Richard’s room and think I’ll see him motoring through the halls on his way to the dining room.
The flowers you left in Oregon South are absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with us. I will miss seeing Richard and you, Doris, as well as, Christopher and Carol Anne.
May the love and support of family and friends help you through the next weeks and months are you grieve. May you also enjoy moments of laughter and thanksgiving as you celebrate Richard’s life.
With love,
Sandy Horst
February 17, 2015
Sorry for your loss. He will always be with you in spirit.
- Services
- Wednesday, February 18, 2015
- 11:00 AM
- Landis Homes Retirement Community East Bethany Chapel
- 1001 E. Oregon Road
- Lititz, PA 17543
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