Richard "Dick" Rippe

Richard (Dick) Demuth Rippe, a 50 year resident of Westfield, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on December 7, 2022 in Denver, Colorado, where he and his wife, Marianne, had recently moved from Williamsburg, Virginia.

Dick grew up in West Orange and Somerville, New Jersey before moving to Detroit, where he graduated from the Cranbrook School. Following in the footsteps of his father and step-father, he attended Cornell University (class of 1951) where he received a degree in mechanical engineering, as well as was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and the Mechanical Engineering Honor Society. While at Cornell, Dick met his future wife, Marianne Aber (class of 1953), whom he married in 1953. They had three children, Ann, Bill, and Paul.

After college, Dick attended OCS and eventually became a lieutenant junior grade in the US Navy while serving on the destroyer, USS Smalley. While on the Smalley, he cruised the Caribbean, North and Mediterranean Seas, bringing back many stories which he fondly retold throughout his life.

After the Navy, Dick joined Babcock and Wilcox in Ohio as a field engineer. He later transferred to PSE&G in Newark where he served as Chief Mechanical Engineer and later, Assistant General Manager of Engineering. Much of his career at PSE&G was devoted to building and licensing New Jersey’s Salem and Hope Creek nuclear power plants which came on-line in the early 1980’s. He retired from PSE&G in 1995.

After moving to Westfield in 1965, Dick became devoted to  several local causes, including the United Way and especially the Youth and Family Counseling Services, and spent many years on the boards of both organizations. He was also active in the Westfield little league where he coached wrestling, football, and baseball.

Dick played golf, paddle tennis and tennis, the latter of which he continued to enjoy until he was almost 90. He loved going to the opera and was a devoted cruciverbalist. In addition to being an avid reader, Dick had a life-long love of learning that led him to take courses at Princeton for decades after retirement. Along with his wife, Dick had a passion for travel, seeking out less travelled destinations. Whether on vacation on Cape Cod or sitting down to a traditional German Christmas dinner, what Dick loved most, however, was being surrounded by his wife, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, all of whom will greatly miss his gentleness, the twinkle in his eye and his sense of humor.

Dick is survived by his wife of 69 years, Marianne, two children, Ann Beard of Denver, Colorado and Paul Rippe of Wilmington, North Carolina, six grandchildren, Bill McCrary, Katie Akers, Mary-Walker Rippe, Brad Rippe, Amy Rippe and Chloe Rippe and two great grandchildren, Jack Akers and Sophia Gomez-McCrary. He is predeceased by his son, Bill Rippe. Dick will be deeply missed by his family and all who knew him. The family is planning a private ceremony at later date.