Richard Emil Stanford M.D.

Rick Stanford, at age 70, fell out of the sky, and for a brief time, he lived to tell about it. It is our honor to tell you about this remarkable doctor, pilot, husband, father, grandfather, brother, and man. He was born Richard Emil Stanford to Krystyna (Pawlinksy) Stanford and Richard S. Stanford on April 2, 1953 in Weingarten, Germany on a U.S. military base. His father was a sergeant in the US Army and his mother was a German national. The family was transferred to Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas when Rick was only five years old. Having been raised in Germany, he had to learn to speak English as he entered first grade.

Long before he married and had his own family, he had two great passions in life: flying and medicine. He became a pilot at age 17 before he even had a driver’s license. During his first year as a pilot, he was recognized for saving another pilot’s life who had a medical emergency mid-flight. He flew commercially with Braniff Airlines at age 22 for about a year, and volunteered for the Civil Air Patrol where he earned the rank of colonel. Fortunately for thousands of future patients, medicine was also calling his name. He started by volunteering at the Army Hospital Operating Room in Fort Bliss. Then he became an orderly, which encouraged the shy, quiet young man to reassure the patients he was transporting in the hospital. At the same time he was diligently working in college to earn a Masters degree in Microbiology from the University of Texas at El Paso. He used all his skills and familiarity with medicine to become a physician’s assistant to a large orthopedic medical practice in El Paso. These experiences led him to Spartan Health Science University, Vieux Fort, St. Lucia and achieving his ultimate goal of earning his medical degree at the age of 31.

Rick always had a wide variety of interests and used one of his medical clerkships in Las Vegas to not only learn how to skillfully play Blackjack, but also to become a certified scuba diver frequently diving at Lake Mead. Ultimately his love of kids took him to his residency in pediatrics at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital where he met the love of his life, Laurie (Lonergan) Stanford, who was the weekend nursing supervisor there. They were married on December 8, 1986 in her living room by the Children’s Hospital chaplain, Rev. Danny Cavett, witnessed by just 4 other friends as wedding guests. The blended family moved to Montana to begin private practice in Great Falls, Montana.

While the original plan was to stay and become the real life Doctor of Snowy River, Laurie was frozen after 3 months. The family returned to Oklahoma where Rick opened up his private practice in Midwest City. In 1991, they relocated the practice to the northwest side of Oklahoma City at Integris (Baptist) Medical Center. There, he went on to practice as a well known pediatrician for the next 35 years. In that time, he soothed a plethora of anxious parents and grandparents, examined countless sore throats and ears, and painted hundreds of handprints of children with completed vaccinations on his office wall. However, he was best known for his ability in diagnosing extremely challenging and difficult diseases. He was never satisfied with just figuring out what was wrong with his patients. He always made sure they got the best treatment available anywhere in the USA. That included personally flying some of them and their parents to world renowned experts in distant states. During these years he also became involved with Angel Flight, an organization of private pilots who (free of charge) take seriously ill patients to receive life saving treatments not available where they live. Rick flew hundreds of these flights in the 20 years he was a member of this organization. Befitting his German heritage, he always managed to see his patients within their designated appointment times, which is no small feat for a busy doctor. At the end of the day, he was a committed and loving father to 3 children in his home, one of whom was multiply disabled, along with his oldest son Rick Jr. (whose permanent home was in Texas), and for a year he added a nephew, Jon to the family. Between the trivia games and karaoke, the house was filled with love, laughter, and controlled chaos.

In his spare time, Rick kept himself occupied with projects. He enjoyed hobbies such as building forts, teaching his children how to build homemade rockets, and cooking for his family, as well as the constant stream of other people’s children who found their way to the Stanford family dinner table. He opened his door and his heart to an army of teenagers with angst during his children’s teenage years, and turned his home into a hospice for his wife’s favorite aunt and her mother. In his spare time he was an avid gardener, willing his vegetables to yield crops in the unforgiving Oklahoma sun. He always grew roughly 10X what his family could consume depending on the fruit or vegetable, and made sure everyone in his office and his neighborhood had a bag full of his famous tomatoes and whatever other favorite crop he had in any given year. He stayed as active as possible. He could be found in the garden, or the attic, on the roof, in the pool, under a sink, and most often, in his sanctuary: his airplane hangar. He deeply enjoyed the routine of life. Rick loved his Saturday breakfasts with his pilot buddies almost as much as he loved flying. He was a meticulous pilot and he had over 3,000 hours of flying experience. He imbued that love of flying into his youngest son, Luke, who is also a pilot.

Later in his life, Rick took great pleasure in his children's milestones: college graduations, weddings, and especially the birth of his grandchildren.

After Rick retired from his pediatric practice, he turned his attention to the Dexalog-12 shot that was developed by his late brother-in-law, Dr. Michael Lonergan. He truly enjoyed being able to deliver treatment to people in a way that removed barriers to access for chronic conditions. He never wanted to dilute relief for his patients. His staff became family and his patients were a source of pride and community. The Stanford family thanks each one of his patients and staff members for invigorating Dr. Stanford in his third act.

Rick was in a tragic plane crash on August 13, 2023. He was returning home from helping a neighbor when his plane’s engine failed. He was able to land on a strip of grass in between a major highway and a housing addition. He later told his family that he was sure he was going to die, but he didn’t want to harm anyone else. Miraculously, Rick survived the crash. With his wife and children at his side, he fought to survive. The extent and complexity of his injuries made survival impossible and despite his best efforts he passed away on Saturday, December 23, 2023 surrounded by those who loved him most.

Rick is survived by his devoted wife, Laurie Stanford, who never left his side for 133 days in ICUs and a very special LTACH, Cornerstone, in Shawnee, OK. He was cared for by many dedicated doctors and nurses at both OU and Integris in the ICUs. Both Rick and Laurie wish to thank the staff at Cornerstone for his physical care and attending to their spiritual needs, of whom there are too numerous to name individually.

Looking back, Laurie would never have predicted that the shy resident in the hallways at Children’s Hospital would end up being the one to raise all their children together as a family. He provided them with a life of blessings beyond measure. Rick is survived by: His soulmate, Laurie Stanford; siblings, Karen Bandy and Karl Stanford; his children Rick Stanford Jr. and his wife, Mayra, his daughter Jessica Tucker and her husband, Russell Tucker, his son Joshua Legenzoff, and his youngest son Luke Stanford and his wife, Dr. Tara Stanford. He leaves behind 8 grandchildren: Kendra, Kylie, Matthew, Aviva, Eliora, Brynn, Maryn, and the newest blessing to the family, Rowyn Jett. He promises to watch over them in Heaven. He will likely watch Laurie most closely, as he was fond of calling her several times a day.

We thank you God for this healer that you sent us, for all of the miracles of life and compassion that he facilitated, and for all the healing we have received in our relationships in his short time on Earth. Love is medicine.

A visitation for Richard will be held Thursday, January 4, 2024 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at Hahn-Cook/Street & Draper, 6600 Broadway Extension, Oklahoma City, OK 73116. A rosary will occur Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 6:00 PM, 6600 Broadway Extension, Oklahoma City, OK 731161298. A mass of christian burial will occur Friday, January 5, 2024 at 10:00 AM at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, 3214 N Lake Ave, Oklahoma City, OK 73118, with interment following at Rose Hill Burial Park.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to "The Sky Is the Limit” Aviation Scholarship Fund in Memory of Dr. Stanford at Watermark Bank, 6501 N Classen Blvd, Suite 300, Oklahoma City, OK 73116.