My brother Brian, his wife Jan, Ricki, and my wife Mary and me on October 23rd. Mom's last public outing at her favorite restaurant.
It is with great sadness we share that we have lost our dearest mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, past co-worker and friend; but find comfort that she is now at peace in eternal life with her husband Ernie and son Craig and all the other family members and friends that have gone before her. If you ever had the chance to meet Ricki in person, you know she exuded life and always put the needs of others before her own. Even though she had an impoverished childhood, losing her father at age 12 and growing up during the Great Depression, she was always a hard worker who contributed to her family’s well-being and also became a competitive swimmer. She was tenacious and loved life.
Most of you know she was instrumental in the founding of Stahls’, cutting the first letters on the kick press and doing countless other jobs, both at the company and on the home front to support the success of this now world-renowned group of companies. She has literally touched and improved thousands of lives around the world over the years and her legacy and spirit will always be remembered. A true giver, Ricki was always involved with supporting not just her family, but also trying to enrich the lives of others. She helped bring a hot lunch program to an area middle school and was involved in various charities such as The Make a Wish Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, The Humane Society.
As a person she was always loving and forgiving. She had a huge heart, not only for her beloved children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but everyone with whom she came in contact. She was always thinking about the comfort and happiness of those around her; be it for the nurses, doctors and fellow patients when she was in the hospital or for her many friends in the Sunrise living community. Everyone who met Ricki was a recipient of her gracious and loving ways. Ricki loved the woods, the outdoors, the warm sun and the water. She was an avid fisherwoman, golfer and could not leave a domino or Mahjong tile unturned. As a golfer, she never made her “hole in one” here on Earth, but if they have golf courses in heaven, we know that she is up there working on that.
To honor Ricki’s legacy and her commitment to helping others, we will also be setting up a Ricki Stahl Memorial Scholarship. More details to follow soon. Thank you for your prayers and support during this difficult time. It is hard to believe that only last Oct 17th she was given a standing ovation for her lifetime of service at a GroupeSTAHL Town Hall Meeting. Mom, you will be missed but never forgotten.