Jeff W. Ribble

RIBBLE, MILANI

Posted By: Sarah Fletcher (email)
Date: 4/2/2021 at 07:21:50

Jeff W. Ribble, 63, passed away suddenly at his home on March 17, 2021.

Jeff was born April 26, 1957, in Cedar Rapids, the first son of Don Ribble and Martha “Marti” Milani. He graduated from George Washington High School in 1975 and, in keeping with his restless and inquisitive spirit, the rest of his life followed a path that involved education, theology, construction work, service to others and a constant quest for enlightenment.

Jeff studied theology and religion at Cornell College and the University of Iowa, eventually earning a Master’s Degree in Counseling, Rehabilitation, and Student Development in 2009 from the University of Iowa.

While he was a student, Jeff ran the business that he founded in 1992--Straightco Roofing and Construction. He mostly hired people who were looking for a new chance in life. Some actually found what they were looking for at Straightco, where Jeff gave them a chance to feel good about fixing things that were broken--including themselves. He worked them hard, subjected them to long lectures about life, love, and God---as well as not-always-funny jokes about 12-step ladders, and he helped them, and so many of us, grow.

After Straightco, Jeff continued working to serve others as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC), and practiced at the Abbey Center, as well as private practice.

Jeff will be remembered by so many for his great and varied passions--among them his pets, his friends, sneaking up on trout with his fishing buddies, short-attention-span poker, and cleaning off the leftovers from your plate. His raucous laughter. His big tears. His big mind. He shared his huge heart, his many enthusiasms, and his exhaustive spiritual curiosity with so many people during his time with us.

If Jeff was in the room, you knew it. Like so many of us, the very molecules were drawn to him, danced with him when he was excited and laughed his big laugh with him. We often use the phrase, “He was one of a kind.” Jeff truly was. He was greatly loved and will be greatly missed.

He was preceded in death by his father, Don, in 2015, his mother, Marti, in 2020, and his dear friend Tammy Barton in 2017.

Jeff is survived by his brother, Phil, and wife Liddie.

A memorial will be planned at a later date for Jeff and Marti.

Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service
 

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