From Candlelight Ranch:

It feels especially fitting that we gather here at Flat Creek a place Rick built alongside Madelyn….. to celebrate a life that was built with the very same passion, vision, and determination.

While today we stand among the vines and beauty he helped create here, I have the privilege of representing Candlelight Ranch, another place forever changed because Rick chose to love it.

Rick and Madelyn have supported the ranch forever…. not casually, not from a distance, but wholeheartedly. Rick didn’t just believe in the mission; he moved it forward. When he set his mind to something that would benefit the children and families we serve, it happened. His perseverance….and yes, sometimes that wonderful stubborn streak…. was simply his love in action.

Rick was a two-sided coin in the most beautiful way. He could be as bright and fearless as the Texas sun in July.....strong, direct, unwavering. But if you stood with him, if you stayed long enough to see past that brilliance, what you found was something even more remarkable: a generous heart, deep compassion, and a soul that wanted to make things better for others.

He was helpful. Hardworking. Honest. Headstrong. And a true friend.

In fact, my last memory of Rick is standing right here at Flat Creek, surrounded by many who love the ranch — founders, longtime supporters, friends — and listening to him talk about Candlelight Ranch with such pride and excitement. We were celebrating successes, and even then, he was already thinking ahead. We had identified a new need at the ranch, and Rick was energized. He already had ideas. He was ready to build, to improve, to make it even more impactful for the children and families we serve.

That was Rick. Always building. Always believing. Always loving through action.

His legacy is not only in the structures he helped create or the projects he pushed forward. It is in the laughter of children, in families who find healing, and in the quiet strength of a place that stands stronger because he cared.

Madelyn, thank you. For sharing Rick with us. For believing in the ranch alongside him. For loving this mission as your own. We look forward, in the very near future, to honoring Rick’s memory at the ranch — a place that carries his imprint and always will.

And while we will miss his voice, his drive, and that unmistakable determination, we will continue the work he loved, because that is how we honor a man like Rick Naber.

His work continues. His impact remains. And his love endures.

I got a phone call from Rick after he received a plant disease diagnostic report from me, reporting the presence of Cotton Root Rot on some samples he sent in. To paraphrase…. He wanted to know what Texas A&M was going to do to help the grape growers solve the problem of CRR. 

Rick WAS the reason why my Master’s research project was to find a control for Cotton Rot Root on wine grapes.  With his generosity, kindness and his own determination, he became one of my biggest supporters and cooperators. The research plot we used at Flat Creek resulted in some of the best statistical results for my research. And because of that, we and other cooperators together were able to find a control for CRR. He will be sadly missed, RIP Rick 😢🙂

As I became more active in the Candlelight Ranch Foundation, I got to know Rick: he was very committed to bettering the lives of others, and his & Madelyn's contributions to CLR have been life-improving for many children.

Rick:  the CenTex community's gratitude for your work lives on and continues to be very present and tangible.  You will forever be remembered and revered as the driving force which made CLR's Hideaway a reality.

Madelyn:  sincerely wishing lots of strength in these very difficult times.

Sincerely,

Paul Masschelin