HERMAN GEORGE RUPPERT

            He was born on December 23, 1918, to his father, Charles Ruppert, and his mother, Catherine (Dohrer) Ruppert.  He left us on September 5, 2015.  His son, John Ruppert, and his daughter, Jolene (Ruppert) Massey, were able to spend the last week of his life with him, and they will always be grateful for having been able to do so.  He was 96 years old when he passed.  Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote:  “It is not length of life, but depth of life” that is important.  He was blessed to have had both.

            He had very fond memories of growing up in Iowa City, Iowa, with his parents and six brothers and sisters.  He was always very proud of his mother, who with the help of her children (especially her oldest son, Charles) was able to keep the family and the property intact during the depression, after his father died.  He graduated from Iowa City High School and the University of Iowa with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.  His son, John Ruppert, has his slide rule and a leather case with a belt loop.  Someday he will figure out how to use it.  His son also has a small anvil, which he built in one of his classes, and he is using it as a “paper weight” on his office desk.  He had to take a year off from the University and work to come up with enough money to finish his college education, which he did.  One of his jobs was working in the local Dairy.

            He married his beloved, late wife Betty (maiden name Blanchard), in 1943, and together they moved to Richland, Washington.  Where they raised two children:  a son, John Ruppert, and a daughter, Jolene (Ruppert) Massey.

            He worked as a nuclear Engineer on the Hanford Nuclear Project for more than 40 years.  His family never knew what he did.  Whenever anyone asked him they always got the same answer:  “My work is so secret, I don’t even know what I am doing”.  What the family does know is that: (1) He was closely involved with building the atom bomb, which helped end WWII, and he was very proud of his service in doing so; (2) Working on the Project is where he got his nick name – “Jake”; (3) Working on the Project is where he acquired an “addiction” for milk with ice; (4) He was sent to Nevada in the 1950’s to observe an above ground test of an atom bomb, which “profoundly” affected him to the point where he never talked about it; (5) He had to wear a hard hat when he was in the field, which his son, John Ruppert, now has; and (6) When he retired, he was remembered as a co-worker, who always came up with"practical solutions--not "theoritical solutions".

            After his beloved wife, Betty, to whom he was married for more than 60 years, died in 2006, he moved to an Assisted Living Facility, Wynwood of Columbia Edgewater, where he spent the last nine years of his life.  It was a difficult transition for him, but it worked out great.  He was very happy; made some good friends, some of whom he worked with on the Project; enjoyed playing Bridge and volunteering to tend the flower garden in the court yard.  He always enjoyed the Sunday service and helped set-up and take-down.

            He was preceded in death by his wife, Betty (Blanchard) Ruppert; his father, Charles Ruppert, and his mother, Catherine (Dohrer) Ruppert); his brothers, Charles Ruppert, Cledon Ruppert, and Richard Ruppert; and his sister, Rosamond (Ruppert) Cooper.

            He is survived by his children, John Ruppert and Jolene (Ruppert) Massey; his grandchildren, Melissa (Ruppert) Van Hooser, and Charles Ruppert; his great grandchildren, Kathryn Van Hooser, and Austin Ruppert; his brother, Robert Ruppert; his sister, Katherine (Ruppert) Hogan; and numerous nephews and nieces.

            His children, son John Ruppert, and his daughter, Jolene (Ruppert) Massey, remember him as a very devoted and loving husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather.  He was always supportive and took interest in us growing up and in our friends.  He was always there to offer “Dad’s” advice no matter what it might be to encourage and to inspire us. He was something of a “pack rat”.  When we were cleaning out the house after he moved to Wynwood of Columbia Edgewater in 2006, we found tax returns going back to 1943 (the year he was married).  He always enjoyed fishing with his family in the lakes and streams in Washington and off the Washington coast.   It was always special for him to be able to take the family back to Iowa where we all could meet and visit with the entire Ruppert Clan (and his late wife, Betty’s Clan).  Jolene and John, of course, enjoyed playing with our cousins and getting into “childish mischief”. He  had very fond memories of happy times spent in Pullman/Johnson, Washington, for the July 4^th Celebration, and visiting with extended family and friends.  He always brought a watermelon, packed in ice, in a 1940’s ice chest.       Dad’s memories will always be with his children and will be cherished greatly!

            His Granddaughter, Melissa Van Hooser, fondly remembers the fun bike rides with Grandma and Grandpa along the Columbia River on the old clunker bike.  There were also many games of pool and ping pong to play in their home basement.  Mornings were often spent playing in the big yard.  There were snow tunnels in the winter and sprinkler play in the summer.  Sometimes in the afternoon or after dinner, they would play “Authors” card game together.  And then, individually, try to beat the wooden triangular peg game.       Melissa observed a love of gardening in Grandpa Jake.  He had a regular “green thumb” and was very proud of his homegrown tomatoes.  Delicious!  She also remembers his daily breakfast of “Wheaties” cereal.  Grandpa was a man of habit and hardly missed a bowl of those each day.  Grandpa Jake delighted in visitors and most recently in spending time with great grandchildren.  He delighted in 7 year old, Kathryn, when his Granddaughter Melissa (Ruppert) Van Hooser and her husband, Adrian, came to visit him.  They often read books together, listened to music, played catch with a balloon, or took a short walk together.    He was very proud of his family and legacy.  And a true gentleman!

            His Grandson Charles ("Charlie") Ruppert has many fond memories of his Grandpa Jake.  Sharing ice cream with peaches, reading the Sunday comics, and riding bikes along the Columbia were special moments.  Grandpa was consistently kind and patient, and he was a positive mentor to those around him.  At his house in Richland, Washington, Grandpa kept a pool table downstairs.  He was never in a rush to skip a game, and he spent time to share tips on how to play.  Grandpa lived a life of consistency.  He ate a simple, but healthy diet, wore the same clothes, and only replaced something if it needed fixing.  His Grandson, Charlie, on the other hand, was always into the latest electronic “gadget” of the day.  Charlie remembers showing a digital camera to his grandfather who was amazed to see how it instantly captured photos on the screen.  In his later years, Grandpa moved into the Assisted Living Community at Wynwood of Columbia Egewater after his late wife Betty died in 2006, and we enjoyed visiting him there and walking through the court yard.  In 2012, Charles and his wife, Laura, introduced Grandpa to his great grandson, Austin Maxwell Ruppert.  We knew this and other visits were special as he kept the photos of all his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren beside his bed.  We miss Grandpa Jake and keep him in our thoughts.

            His surviving Brother, Robert Ruppert, and his surviving Sister, Katherine (Ruppert) Hogan, remember him as a "good brother".

            A wonderful "Celebration of his Life" was held at the Brookdale Chapel, Wynwood of Columbia Edgewater, where he spent the last nine years of his life, on October 17, 2015, attended by his extended family and friends, where he spent the last nine years of his life.  We all enjoyed saying Au Revior.

            Inurnment was at Sunset Memorial Gardens, Richland, Washington, with private service for family only.

            Honarary Pall Bearers:  his Children, John Ruppert and Jolene (Ruppert) Massey; his Grandchildren, Mellisa (Ruppert) Van Hooser and Charles ("Charlie") Ruppert; his Great Grandchildren, Kathryn Van Hooser and Austin Ruppert.