Obituaries : Roy H. Rippel

Roy H. Rippel

VINTON: Roy Rippel, 96, died Sunday, January 19, 2014 at Virginia Gay Hospital following a brief illness.

Funeral Services will be held at 11 a.m., Thursday, January 23, 2014 at Wesley United Methodist Church in Vinton with Pastor Mike Ferguson officiating. Interment will be held at Evergreen Cemetery with Graveside Military Rites conducted by Geo. G. Luckey American Legion Post #57 of Vinton, and Iowa Military Funeral Honors. Friends may call at Phillips Funeral Home Chapel, 212 E. 6th St. in Vinton from 5 to 7 p.m., on Wednesday. A Memorial fund has been established.

Roy was born July 27, 1917 on a farm East of Mt. Auburn to August and Bena (Goettsch) Rippel and attended school in Mt. Auburn. He worked on the family farm and for neighbors prior to going to the Navy.

From 1941 to 1945 he served his nation in the U.S. Navy and received the Purple Heart while serving on the U.S.S. Kitkun Bay during the battle of Leyte Gulf in the South Pacific. Roy was a member of Geo. G. Luckey American Legion Post #57 of Vinton.

Upon returning from the service, Roy farmed twenty years and then worked for the Benton County Conservation fifteen years retiring in 1980.

On February 11, 1947he was united in marriage to Florence Elizabeth Campbell in Marengo.

Roy enjoyed visits from his children and grandchildren and liked to travel going to his Navy reunions each year as well as other places. Afterhe and his wife retired they enjoyed spending winters in the south. A lover of nature, Roy spenthours watching birds and deer from his windows.

Roy is survived by his wife, Florence of Vinton; his daughters, Janet Edler(Joe Kaiser) and Mary (Mike) Hanson; his grandchildren, DaLeea (Chris) Gahring, Dawn Edler, Dustin (Gina) Edler,Angie (Mark) Rummel, Marty (Steph) Hanson, Alyssa Hanson and Aric Hanson; his step-grandchildren, Jenn Towns and Jody (Devin) Bilsland; his great grandchildren, Caiden Gahring, Sadie Rummel, Kassie Rummel, Sawyer Rummel, Bella Edler and Brianna Edler; and eightstep-great grandchildren, Kelsey Mahood, Kamryn Robinson, Karli Robinson, Marissa Clark, Hannah Towns, Cooper Towns, Donovan Bilsland and Gillian Bilsland; his sister-in-law, Geraldine Rippel of LaPorte City; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his infant daughter, Shirley; and his siblings, Karl, Ross, Donald, and Waldo Rippel, Pearl Dufresne, Fern Kaiser, Flossie Selk, Vera Selk, and Lois Polege.

Condolences may be left at: www.phillipsfuneralhomes.com