John A. Ripberger
John A. Ripberger, 80 of Tipton died on Saturday, July 24, 2021 at 6:05 a.m. at Miller’s Merry Manor in Tipton. John was born in Tipton on March 22, 1941 to John E. & Agnes J. (Gall) Ripberger. On July 17, 1963 he married Karen S. Thompson and they enjoyed 58 years together.
John worked at Dana Corporation until it closed and then started his own business Ripberger Drainage with his youngest son, Steve.
He graduated from Tipton High School in the Class of 1959. He belonged to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and the Ushers Club. He was a member of Knights of Columbus 4th Degree, Tipton Elks Lodge and Mid-America Threshing Club. He enjoyed his antique tractor. John and his granddaughters would work together getting his tractor ready for the annual show.
He served on the board of Janus and was the Chairman of the Board. John served on the Tipton County Library Board and the County Council. He enjoyed spending time with his granddaughters and going to all their sporting events; he was so proud of them all. John never met a stranger, he loved to talk and when asked what he did for a living he would say, “I dig ditches for a living.”
Survivors besides his wife Karen include his three sons, John G. Ripberger and partner Mark Corbett, Tim L. Ripberger and Stephen J. Ripberger; brothers Fred Ripberger and wife Kathy, Larry Ripberger and wife Nadine and Louie Ripberger. He also has three granddaughters, Madison Renee Ripberger, Rachel Irene Ripberger and Carly Ann Ripberger. He was preceded in death by one brother, Ed Ripberger.
A funeral mass for John will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 29 at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church with Rev. Dennis Goth presiding. Burial will follow in St. John’s Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00-8:00 p.m. on Wednesday at Young-Nichols Funeral Home with a rosary service at 4:00.
Memorial donations in John’s honor may be made to the building fund at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 335 Mill Street, Tipton, Indiana, 46072.
So sorry for your loss! John was a great guy to know! May God comfort all of you during this time!
Linda Sottong
We are so very sorry for your loss. John was such a nice guy. Always enjoyed talking with him.
Steve, we are so sorry for the loss of your dad! What a great guy he was! Many Prayers
Sorry for your steve and kids.
Condolences to the family. You will all be in our prayers.
My mom Joan (Gall) Varnau and dad, Dick, used to call him “Johnny”. I remember him stopping by our farm near Portland just to say hello. Sometimes, he would score a seat at the kitchen table to join us for one of my mom’s delicious home cooked meals of fresh produce from our garden, complete with fresh baked goods for dessert. My dad was often working and Johnny would simply keep him company, regaling Dick with a new repertoire of stories of the folks back in Tipton County John was quite a guy! You have our condolences.
Karen, I am sorry about John’s passing. He was my eldest cousin on my mother’s side of our family (Joan Gall Varnau). Although we lost contact over the years, I am quite impressed by his involvement in the Tipton community. Hopefully, your fond memories of your life together will give you comfort in the days ahead.