Richard Rippy
June 26, 1944 - May 24, 2012
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Richard Rippy
June 26, 1944 - May 24, 2012
Obituary
Dear Friends and Family of Richard Rippy,
There will be a memorial and life celebration for Richard “Rich” Rippy this Saturday, June 23that 4:00 pm at InSpirit Center for Spiritual Living in Mission Viejo (25782 Obrero Dr., Mission Viejo 92691). Immediately following the service there will be a Life Celebration in the Irish tradition. Feel free to bring your favorite beverage to toast your relationship with him! He was loved and respected by many for his generosity and sense of duty.
He has been described as “bigger than life,” “a brilliant executive with a generous spirit” and a “one-of-a-kind friend and peer.’ Duty, loyalty, humility, responsibly and supporting others to become their best where his motto. A friend wrote, “He cut through emotion to what he recognized as the logical and effective solution.” One family member wrote, ‘He was always there,He always picked up the phone. Always.’
Richard was known for his thought-provoking statements like “cash is king,” “proper prior planning prevents piss poor performance,” “it’s all about the team” and “I’d rather die while living than live while dying.” His last written statement was ‘Try to judge me not for what I did, but look for what I’ve done.’
In lieu of flowers, you are welcome to donate to My Doggies Daycarehttp://www.mydoggiesdaycare.com or to Team Richard at the Alzheimer’s Association. My Doggie’s Daycare has cared for and is taking on the responsibility of adopting his dogs to a wonderful home. There remains a sizable outstanding balance. Sherri Young (owner) can be reached at sj.young@cox.net. A video of his dogs can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5JKRIQV8tM.
Light a candle or leave a message at Richard Rippy’s memorial website by clicking on the following link: https://www.oconnormortuary.com/obituaries/Richard-Rippy/. We treasure your stories and finds healing, peace and serenity in them.
Gratitude and blessings,
Karen Ebersole Rippy (wife)
119 responses to Richard Rippy
spongebob says:
June 29, 2012
Thank you for sharing these memories ~ Nancy
Karen Rippy says:
July 3, 2012
Lit a candle in memory of Richard Rippy
Karen Rippy says:
July 3, 2012
Gosh he loved his time there, the people there, he talked about it all the time. It was definitely one of the highlights of his life. We were supposed to go hiking there, meet some of his friends and hike the green hills but never made it…He proclaimed himself Irish after coming back to the States and loved practicing his Irish accent. I am sure he is resting in peace.
Karen Rippy (wife)
Lois Johnson says:
July 4, 2012
Lit a candle in memory of Richard Rippy
Karen Rippy says:
July 8, 2012
cont. from below…tribute to Richard from Karen
Richard was becoming quite the philosopher during the months prior to his death. He began realizing that
“mind over matter” wasn’t fixing the after-effects of his brain injury and a broken arm. Hmm, I must be getting old he would say as if to explain why his firmly held beliefs were not holding up. “Cash is king” became less of his motto and capturing the moment grew in importance. Richard began not just “smelling the flowers” but taking amazing zoom shots of them. He became intrigued with the little bugs living inside them and the magnificence of the colors. He remained as impatient as always about his limitations, yet gained a deeper insight into himself. He told me in his last month he could not be critical of anyone else because his thoughts are too busy with the demands he places upon himself …
Our last long conversation was at dusk on the night of the solstice solar eclipse after eating a delicious Italian meal he prepared for me. He became annoyed at a crow that kept calling out and muttered that he was tired of being woken up in the morning by that bird. He kept perseverating on the recent intentional death of an honored football player who had many head injuries. He spoke about it with wonderment as if he admired the courage of that athlete who knew when the game was over. I gently pointed out that he would never get to see another flower. Richard pondered some more and said that was most certainly true. Then with some flair his attention shifted to the crow. He picked up his iPad and aimed it at the crow that had continued his leadership caw to others in the area. Richard took some great pictures and delighted in the clarity of the shots and his newfound appreciation at the amazing bird and its commanding leadership role. I loved the look in his eyes of joy and felt the Zen-like peace of that shared innocent moment.
Richard left his body but not my soul. He is with me always in a more gentle, transparent and tender way than while he was living. As I slowly begin my way into my new and expansive life I feel Richard applauding me and smiling with those blue eyes that could care so much when you least expect it.
Today at the mortuary I picked up a bit of his white, sand-like ashes that were placed in a few of his trinkets. So fine was this ash… so fine was Richard’s essence; he was an original, a connector of people and visions, doing things his way and not necessarily always following the rules. But, ahhh, what a life it was.
Again, thank you all. I love you.
Karen Rippy
http://www.karenrippy.com
krippy1@facebook.com