RICH ZIRPEL: A HUMBLE SERVANT FOR JESUS

Rich Zirpel: Celebration of Life 4/13/48-8/11/22

It was the same words/phrases over and over again: humble, amazing listener, other centered, a servant who exemplified the love of Jesus. He was described as a man who had impacted thousands, with no exaggeration, for Jesus. Kev and I met Rich, along with his wife Dedra, and many other of our closest friends, in a small Sunday school class called “ Lifeline”. Our first time there we had rode our bikes and came up in our riding outfits. Rich was the teacher of the class. He never blinked an eye but welcomed us with open arms. He was an odd sort as described by many of us. Dedra said it well when she would ask him jokingly ( or maybe not!) “ were you raised by wolves?’. His outward appearance ( primarily his dress attire !)and social skills camouflaged the greatness of his godly character. As the pastor shared “ he was one of the greats and this is not something he says often”. His lists of accomplishments, both in the military and in the church, were endless, as shared by many who spoke at the service. Personally, Rich was instrumental in the beginning of our marriage and it is why we were able to celebrate our 28th anniversary this year. But, as seen in these pictures, his greatest accomplishments was as a husband, father, and especially, as a grandfather. With all the roles and responsibilities he had with the church, he went to every baseball game, plays, family outings, cheer, and anything else the kids and grandkids had to support them all. He and Dedra had a blended family but he NEVER once made reference to any of the kids as “step” children. They were all their kids. In the final moments Rich told his daughter Megan, how blessed he was to have Jesus love a man like him. I can safely say, those of us who had the privilege to know Rich, would add “ how blessed we were to have met a man who really, and I mean really, showed Jesus in the flesh. I can only imagine the smiles both Rich and Jesus had when they were finally together forever in heaven. Until we meet again Rich, may we too strive to show the love of Jesus as you did to the very end. Love, Me…..