Richard Arden "Rick" Sterry

Rick Sterry passed away peacefully on April 9th, 2024 at his home with his family after a short illness. Rick was born on February 15th in 1938, the first child of Alton and Nedra Sterry and grew up on a wheat farm in northern Montana with 4 siblings. He starred in high school basketball, once scoring 40 points and winning a game with a shot in overtime. He excelled in speech and won medals for declamation, once taking 1st Place at State. This success led to an interest in acting and he attended Pasadena Playhouse in Los Angles, where Dustin Hoffman and Gene Hackman were in his classes.
When his dreams of stardom didn't work out, Rick joined the army in 1959. While stationed in the jungles of Panama, he became a star on the fast-pitch softball team, leading in hits, runs and walks.
After his discharge, Rick attended Northern Montana College in Havre, Montana, on a baseball scholarship, where he batted a stunning.371. Rick was an activist on campus for change and organized a sit-in that shut the college down for several days. During this period, Rick spent his summers harvesting wheat on the family farm. He spent two summers in a fire tower in the Bob Marshall Wilderness where a pack train was needed to bring in supplies.
In 1964, Rick won a full-ride Woodrow Wilson Fellowship and chose Michigan State University for his studies in American Literature, during which time he was a visiting professor of English at Otaru University in Japan.
Next came Idaho State University, where Rick spent three years, at the end of which he declined a full professorship to focus on his writing. His first novel, "Over The Fence," was reviewed favorably by the New York Times. These were heady days for Rick, as Hollywood showed interest in turning his book into a movie. Mia Farrow was to be in the cast. But Hollywood was fickle, and the film was never produced. Instead, Rick took his modest earnings from the screen rights and bought a farm in a remote and beautiful forest near the coast in southern Oregon, relishing the challenge of living off the grid.
Though times got tough, Rick managed to start a family there but the reality of living off the land was not sustainable. He worked in construction, commercial fishing, bought a shoe repair shop and pulled wood on the green chain at the local lumbermill. Finally, the rigors of making ends meet became too much and he set out on another path, moving with his wife and two young boys to Eugene, Oregon. There he started his career in real estate, becoming widely known as "The Land Man".
After his retirement, Rick traveled extensively, trekking to Nepal, among many other exotic locations. His wild adventures took him down class 5 rivers and to the summit of several mountains. One of his fondest memories was reaching the top of North Sister in the Cascade Range, to be met by a cloud of butterflies.
Rick played classical as well as blues guitar, writing and singing his own songs. He continued to write, producing several novels, a book of essays, a collection of short stories, a travel book, and a play that was produced by a local thespian group. He kept a journal for 50 years. All of his writings are held in perpetuity within a special archive at Boston University.
Rick was an extraordinary man who amazed his family and friends with his boundless energy and spiritual warmth. He was a mentor and a man of magnetic charm, he was a great listener and a man who understood the power of good words spoken well. He was a seeker, a man of wisdom and a deeply loving and beautiful human being. He is survived by his wife Carole and sons Sky and Quince, and grandson Kade.
Musgrove Family Mortuary