Obituary of Richard Ruppel

Richard E. Ruppel passed away Thursday, July 18, 2013, with his daughter and grand- daughter by his side. He was most recently a resident of Broad Meadow Nursing Home in Middletown, DE. Richard was born to John and Victoria Ruppel on April 23, 1926. He was born in Middleport, NY and raised on the family farm in Barker, NY. After graduating from Barker Central High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He served in Central Europe, the Rhineland and also served under General George S. Patton in Linz, Austria. He served in the infantry as an Automatic Rifleman, receiving a CIB (2 ribbons and 2 medals.) He married Marylou Smith on June 11, 1949. Together they raised four children. Richard was a retired GM employee and was the caretaker of Mt. Ridge Cemetery for 35 years, and was also the caretaker of Wright&amp;#39;s Corner Cemetery for many years. In his spare time he worked as a salesman for Rock of Ages and Orleans Monuments. He also operated his own backhoe business. Richard was a very generous, caring and devoted family man. Often times, he would enjoy sharing his &amp;quot;war time&amp;quot; stories with his family. He loved to garden and took pride in landscaping his home. When he wasn&amp;#39;t working, he enjoyed snowmobiling, boating, camping, riding horses and vacationing with his family. He especially loved his German Shepherd&amp;#39;s, Schnitzel, Maxine and Sam and his Maltese&amp;#39;s, Elizabeth, Molly, Louie and Joey. He will also be greatly missed by his Grand Dog&amp;#39;s, Toby and Buzz. His quick wit and sarcastic sense of humor will be missed by all. Richard was preceded in death by Marylou Ruppel, his wife of 63 years. He is survived by his four children, Kathleen (Patrick) Mooney of Gasport, NY, Richard J. (Debora) Ruppel of Middleport, NY, Stephen (Maria) Ruppel of Medina, NY, and Linda (John) Lakatosh of Newark, DE. Richard is also survived by his four grandchildren, Christine Lakatosh, Ritchie (Rebecca) Ruppel, Alayna Ruppel and Renee Ruppel. Richard also had four great-grandchildren, Abigail, Adriana, Arabella and Addyson Ruppel. A memorial service will be held for family and friends at Prudden &amp; Kandt Funeral Home, Lockport, NY on Saturday, August 3, 2013, at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations may be made to a local animal shelter of your choice. <h3>Services</h3> A memorial service will be held for family and friends at Prudden & Kandt Funeral Home, Lockport, NY on Saturday, August 3, 2013, at 1:00 PM.