Dick Rippey

He was born November 18, 1933, in the town of Hartford, Wisconsin. He grew up learning, hunting, and fishing the forests and lakes of his home state, first around Hartford and later further north, around Spooner. Those experiences defined him, and he was palpably elevated in 2001 when he found and purchased a cabin on Lake Lucerne, in the North Woods. He returned there often and hosted family and friends there, during all seasons, for the rest of his life.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Luella Catherine, whom he described as a gifted beautician, successful businesswoman, master baker, and “the most positive creature on earth”; his father, Charles Wilbur, a boom-and-bust entrepreneur who played piano by ear and was by turns a roadhouse proprietor, an automotive engineer, a sign painter, and the mechanic-owner of Rippey’s Garage in Hartford, among other pursuits; his brother Thomas (Tom), two years older, lifelong friend, confidant, and partner in Triangle Jazz, a small business focused on the New Orleans-born music that they both loved; and his brothers Charles (Peach) and Robert (Buddy), a generation older, who took their little brother Dick under their respective wings at key moments and remained two of his greatest guides and mentors.

After graduating from Spooner High School, Dick enrolled at the University of Wisconsin, but college didn’t stick the first time. Brother Bud facilitated a second chance at Carroll College in Waukesha, WI, where Dick successfully completed baccalaureate studies in Business Administration, with minors in English and Geography, in 1956. These years also saw Dick’s introduction to Triangle Jazz, which began as a record store that Buddy owned and ran in Waukesha. Dick served in the US Army from 1956 to 1958 then briefly pursued graduate studies at the University of Illinois. In 1959, he received and accepted a job offer from Armstrong Cork Company (later Armstrong World Industries), a firm where he would spend 30-plus years as a sales rep then district and regional sales manager, honing his skills and following his calling as a maker of deals and a developer of people and relationships. Colleagues and protégés at Armstrong became lifelong friends.

Dick married Linda Lou Franks, who survives him, on July 3, 1965. The young couple lived first in Peoria, IL, then in Davenport, IA, Lancaster, PA, and in the Twin Cities, before finally settling at Lake Quivira, in the Kansas City area, in 1972. Over the next three decades Dick divided his time between family, career, and his exploits as a tennis player, golfer, hunter, fisherman, jazz enthusiast, avid race fan and later amateur race driver, striking up new friendships in every endeavor. Optimizing the distribution of his time was a challenge for him, but whatever Dick was doing at a given moment, he was fully committed. Dick and Linda had three children: Theodore Franks (Ted), of Bowling Green, OH, in 1969; Richard Lee II (Rich), of Overland Park, in 1971, and Catherine Alice, of Kansas City, in 1977, all of whom survive. Ted married Karen Oxler in 1997 and the couple has two sons, William and Benjamin. Rich married Leslie Riley in 2008 and their son Kaden completed the trio of Dick’s cherished grandsons, all of whom spent adventurous, memorable days at “Opa’s Cabin” on Lake Lucerne. Starting in his bachelor days and throughout his adult life, Dick also had special connections with his nieces and nephews Pamela, Kathleen, Mike, Chuck, Susy, Liz, Mary, Steve, and Barbara, and his grand-niece Zoe, all of whom survive. Sister-in-law Carol, wife to Tom and lifelong friend to Dick, also survives. They all remember fondly the joy and zest that Dick brought to their lives.

Dick separated from Armstrong in the early 1990s and he moved on to other firms. His and Linda’s marriage ended in 2003, but they established a relationship of mutual appreciation and respect and continued to participate in the lives of their children, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren. A second marriage in 2004, to Marcia Verlee Eggers Zinn, was marked by travel, time with family, and lake living in Wisconsin, Missouri, and finally back at Lake Quivira. Though he always remained physically active at a level remarkable for his age, Dick’s cognitive condition had begun to decline in recent years and it deteriorated significantly from late 2019 on. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2020, and life with this disease became increasingly difficult under pandemic conditions. Catherine, Rich, and Leslie provided continuous support during this time, and the connections that many family members and friends maintained with Dick had immense value to him as he navigated the difficulties of his last years.

On December 27 Dick took a hard fall and suffered a brain bleed. He was transferred from intensive care to St. Luke’s Hospice House that evening, and he spent his final days there. The empathy and expertise of the hospice staff, the family gathered around him, and Dick’s unceasing determination to do things right combined to make his death graceful and peaceful. His larger-than-life presence is now an absence, difficult to face. May those who knew and loved him fill that void with laughs that echo his, with memories of his escapades, and with the resolve to take whatever they most admired about him and carry it forward.

A private service will be held on January 22 and an open Catholic mass and celebration of life will be held later this year. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (alz.org) or to the St. Bonaventure Indian Mission and School in Thoreau, NM (stbonaventuremission.org).