Thomas Stribling

Dr. Thomas (Tom) Lloyd Stribling, 88, died January 15, 2021 in Palm Desert, CA. No funeral or memorial service is currently planned. Friends and family are encouraged to leave written condolences and remembrances on this site.

Stribling was born May 9, 1932 in Kansas City, MO and was raised by his parents Clarence and Fern Stribling in the Englewood neighborhood of Independence, MO. As a boy, Tom remembers seeing (soon-to-be President) Harry S Truman taking regular long walks around the town. Tom’s father, Clarence was the first Cub Scout scoutmaster in Independence and Tom was active in the Boy Scouts of America for many years; achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.

In 1949, Stribling graduated from Kansas City’s Northeast High School and began taking college classes while continuing to help his father’s business – delivering laundry and dry cleaning to the rural areas of Eastern Jackson County, MO. Stribling enrolled at the University of Missouri at Columbia in 1953 to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Medicine.

It was at the university where he met his future wife, Mary Ann Price on a blind date. She was finishing her undergraduate degree in education. They continued dating and later married on June 13, 1954. It was more than 100 degrees in the sweltering church that day – causing their wedding cake to melt and almost collapse. Fortunately, the marriage fared much better.

Stribling transferred to the University of Kansas in 1955 to complete his medical degree and graduated in 1957. Afterward, he was a resident at General Hospital in Kansas City, focusing on obstetrics and gynecology. In 1961, the family moved to Augusta, GA where Captain Stribling was an MD for the United States Army at Fort Gordon.

After his military service, Stribling accepted an offer in 1963 to become a medical partner at the Independence Women’s Clinic – a position he would hold until his retirement in 2000. His 37 years as an obstetrician in the same community meant that it was not uncommon for him to be stopped in public so that someone could proudly say that Dr. Stribling had delivered two generations of their family.

His medical practice kept him extremely busy, but it did not keep him from his love of gardening. During winters, the family basement glowed with grow lights to give his Burpee catalog seedlings a head start before the spring planting. Sometimes late at night the front yard would be ablaze with flood lights so that he could garden while waiting for the hospital to call him in to deliver the next baby.

His other passion was antique cars – both toy cars from the 1930s and 40s and his two Jaguar sports cars. He owned two vintage Jaguars because (as Jag collectors know) you need one to drive while the other is being repaired. His last home in Independence was purchased not based on style, but mostly because of its generous garage space.

For more than 50 years, Stribling was active in the Raytown (MO) Christian Church, where he was made a church elder. His duties included visiting area nursing homes and hospitals to provide the “shut-ins” with prayers and communion. He and his wife were also on the board of the Vaile Mansion. Part of Independence’s history is its role as the final stop for 19th century pioneers to acquire provisions before embarking into the Western Frontier. The restored Vaile Mansion is one of the many local historic landmarks commemorating that American era.

In 2019, Tom and Mary Ann also headed west – though not by covered wagon. They moved to an independent living community in Palm Desert, CA, where Mary Ann still resides.

Dr. Stribling is survived by his wife Mary Ann Stribling of Palm Desert, CA; son Thomas Stribling and his partner André Chambers of Palm Springs, CA; daughter Susan Stribling of Independence, MO; his sister Susan Drigalla and her husband Hans Drigalla of Fort Myers, FL; grandson Phillip Barrington and his wife Jessica Barrington of Long Beach, CA; granddaughter Tiffany Woodman and her husband Joseph Woodman of Evanston, IL; as well as many nieces, nephews, in-laws and a wonderful circle of friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to either the Vaile Mansion Victorian Society (https://www.vailemansion.org/) through their “Make a donation” button or the Raytown Christian Church (https://raytowncc.org/) using their “Donate Now” link. Again, friends are encouraged to keep Tom Stribling’s memory alive by leaving written condolences and remembrances on this site.