Sean Strickland, 38, used analytical skills to aid ministries

“Everything became a strategy map for him,” said longtime friend and former MBA classmate Suzy Gray.

In April, Mr. Strickland started a job as chief information officer of In Touch Ministries in Atlanta, having previously worked as an IT director for four years at North Point Ministries.

Although creating information road maps was his job, he also used his strategic mind — coupled with his love of God and quest for spiritual growth — to build a better life for his family, Mrs. Gray said.

To that end, he created and mounted a plaque listing six Strickland Family Values including Freedom, Trust, Acceptance and Security. Each was accompanied by a verse from Scripture. It spelled “FIESTA.”

The plaque, with its black and gold lettering in a brushed gold frame, was a reminder of what the Stricklands treasured as a family, particularly when times were tough, Mrs. Gray said.

“They’d get moments where if things were getting tense, they’d yell ‘FIESTA!’ ” she said. “It reminded them to say, ‘Is this consistent with the values we have as a family?’ ”

Sean Thomas Strickland, 38, of Cumming died in a car accident Wednesday. A memorial service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Monday at North Point Community Church in Alpharetta. McDonald and Son Funeral Home & Crematory is handling arrangements.

The plaque idea arose after Mr. Strickland and his wife, Jana, got involved in small groups at Browns Bridge Community Church in Cumming seven years ago. The groups are made up of five to seven couples going through similar daily struggles, from marital problems to raising children.

“It’s just a very intimate setting where you meet other couples going through the same things in life,” said Stacy Collins, a neighbor and member of one of the small groups Mr. Strickland once belonged to. “They’re kind of like an extended family.”

Mr. Strickland, who seven years ago accepted Jesus Christ into his heart, turned to the group as a way to live his life with purpose, Mrs. Gray said.

“He wanted to know: How do I be a better man? How do I be a better person? How do I be a better father?” Mrs. Gray said.

“He just loved his family and loved the Lord ... and he was really invested in wanting to grow as a believer and use it to influence others,” she said.

In addition to his wife, Jana Strickland, he is survived by his daughter, Gabrielle Strickland of Cumming; his mother, Christine Noonan of Phoenix; a sister, Amy Hinkle, and a brother, Aaron Hinkle, both of Phoenix.