- Date Of Birth: July 25, 1938
- Date Of Death: October 29, 2021
- State: Idaho
Richard Ezra Rapp, 83, the building and maintenance engineer for the Idaho Falls temple for 18 years, passed away in his home surrounded by family and friends.
Dick, loving husband, father, brother, doting grandpa, and friend to all, was born in Rigby, Idaho, to Badah Venna and John Richard Rapp. He grew up with four siblings: Kerry, Errol (Jennie), Rhea Mae (Bill), and Kent (JoAnn). As a young man he loved baseball, wrestling, and fast cars. If he wasn’t racing to home plate, he could be found racing his 1957 Chevy Belair.
As he got older, he was called to serve in the Hawaiian mission where he served on the leper colony in Kalaupapa on the island of Moloka’i where his love for the Lord, the Hawaiian people and the gospel of Jesus Christ would become a pillar for the rest of his life.
At 34, fate and a good friend convinced Dick to stay just a little bit longer at a singles dance, where he would meet the love of his life, Ruth Ann Petersen. Luckily her parents were gone for the night, as they stayed up chatting and laughing and falling in love over ice cream at the Westbank until three in the morning. They would marry on 10 November, 1973. Their love would soon grow to adopt a little four-month-old with bright red hair. On the drive home from the adoption agency in Las Vegas, Ann would alternate between playing with Brett in her arms and letting him sleep on the bench seat of their Chevy truck. A few years later, they would adopt a set of infant brothers, Jeremy and Trevor.
Dick was constantly serving whether it was giving food from his garden to neighbors, serving as a counselor under eight different bishops, or ensuring every part of the Idaho Falls temple remained in tip-top shape. He always had a warm smile for anyone and everyone, and had a way of leaving a lasting impression on you.
Dick is survived by his wife, Ann Rapp of Idaho Falls, ID; his son, Brett (Tina) and their children, Soncere (Cody) and their seven children, Shilo (Shawn) and their son, Mirrianda (Gary) and their two children, Nakita (Jody) and their soon to be child, and Brendan; son, Jeremy (Teri), and their daughter Taybree; son, Trevor (Diana), and their children Alec, Katherine, Genesis, Mayasit, Skylar, and Brooklyn; and his siblings, Errol (Jennie), Kent (JoAnn) and Rhea Mae.
Dick also cared deeply for Carol and Bryoni, wives from Brett and Trevor’s previous marriages, and continued to hold dear their relationship with them.
