Jeffrey Simmons Stripling's Obituary
Jeffrey Simmons Stripling, age 79, of Fayetteville, passed away December 13, 2025 surrounded by family and friends. He was born April 7, 1946 in Fort Worth, Texas to Frances Stripling and Wesley Stripling Jr.
He is preceded in death by his son, Ryan Stripling. He is survived by his wife, Doris; his former wife, Barbara; his sons Tom, Brian, and Kyle; his daughter-in-law Sara, widow of Ryan; and his grandchildren Eli, Reese, Emma, Lena, and Matilda.
Jeff had an insatiable curiosity and a lifelong love of learning. After graduating from Philips Academy Andover, he received a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a PhD in psychology from the University of Colorado. Jeff completed his postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University before becoming a professor of psychology at the University of Arkansas, where he taught and conducted research for 36 years before his retirement in 2012.
A meticulous and highly organized thinker, Jeff kept notes on everything, always written in blocky capital letters because he couldn’t read his own handwriting. He approached life with endless fascination and a wry sense of humor, enjoying whitewater canoeing, traveling, photography, bird-watching, tackling challenging jigsaw puzzles, and avoiding scrabble games with Doris.
True to form, Jeff left detailed instructions after his death, beginning with: “Greetings. If you are reading this, it means I am dead. Sorry about that.” His intelligence, dry wit, and love for his family will be deeply missed.
Services will be private. Contributions in his memory may be made to the Peace at Home women’s shelter at 479-444-8310 or https://peaceathomeshelter.org.
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