He could be exasperating; he could be pretty terrific too. Jack L. Rupp, 80, aka Pop, Jackie, Grandpa Jack, Uncle Jack passed away Saturday, Oct. 13, 2018 tinkering in his shed at home in Selah, Wash.
To friends and family far and wide, Jack was someone who always seemed a little larger than life. He was always there, ready and willing to help anyone in need, ready to be a friend. Jack was one of the last consummate gentlemen.
He was born Dec. 13, 1937, in Montgomery County, Iowa, to Lloyd and Pauline (Rudolph) Rupp. At age 13, he and his family moved to Centralia, Wash., where he graduated from Centralia High School in 1956. Jack married his high school sweetheart, Sharon (Taylor) in 1959, and they were married for over 40 years. He served in the United States Army during the Vietnam war. When he returned, Jack worked three jobs to put himself through pharmacy school at Idaho State University. In 1969, he graduated and along with his wife and four children, set out to pursue his ambition of being a pharmacist. Jack was a much-loved and respected pharmacist and manager of Olympic Drug Stores located throughout Washington. In 1985, he fulfilled a dream as owner and pharmacist of Crested Butte Drug in Crested Butte, Colo. Since returning to Washington, Jack continued to work as a pharmacist, even maintaining his license until the end. In addition to his family, he was passionate about skiing, guiding fishing trips, watching all sports; the Cleveland Indians, gardening and traveling the world. Jack was an avid reader and has been described as a walking encyclopedia.
During one trip to Europe, he met Hilly (Gerritsen), the second love of his life, in St. Petersburg, Russia. Hilly from The Netherlands and Jack from Selah, Wash., courted over two continents before marrying in 2007.
Jack was preceded in death by his parents; son, Steve in 1997; his first wife, Sharon in 2000; daughter, Judi in 2004; and his sister, Karen passed away in 2000.
He is survived by his wife, Hilly; daughters, Shari Aldrich of Tumwater, Wash., and Janice (Mark) Lung of Boise, Idaho; grandchildren, Hayley and Ashleigh Aldrich and Taylor and Nicole Dallman; four great-grandchildren; siblings, Jim (Paquita) Rupp, Carole Rupp, Kathi Lloyd, Christy Cox and Craig Rupp; step-children, Kim (Arjen) de Zeeuw of Holland, Arjan (Ingrid) Rector of Holland and Tanja (John) Rector of Santa Monica, Calif.; and his huge and adoring extended family. Many foreign exchange students from all over the world called him Pop and Grandpa Jack.
At the end of the day, he was happiest on his tractor, beer in hand, mowing his lawn. He died happy.
A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, at Fort Borst Park Kitchen #2 in Centralia, Wash.
Memorial contributions are suggested to the Steven Rupp Memorial Scholarship WWU Foundation, in care of Brookside Funeral Home, PO Box 1267, Moxee, WA 98936, who is caring for the family.
To share a memory or condolence with the family, please visit www.brooksidefhc.com.
