“For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
A dedicated man of God, John Wesley Rupp, has been called to his eternal heavenly home on Sunday evening, March 18, 2012. He was 66 years young and of Marion.
On March 4, 1946, John was born in Marion, the second of five children of the late Earl Francis and Margaret Mae (Brown) Rupp. He was raised on their family farm in Morrow County, and he graduated from Highland High School in the Class of 1964.
Shortly following graduation, while working as an IC Electrician at North Electric in Galion, John was drafted to serve in the U.S. Navy to join his fellow countrymen in the Vietnam War. He was stationed in Jacksonville, Florida and served on a Mediterranean cruise aboard a destroyer tender, the U.S.S. Yellowstone.
Upon his honorable discharge, John returned to Marion to find work and to live with his beloved grandmother, Cora Brown. During this time, he was introduced to a young lady, Cheryl Hollaway, who would become his wife. On Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1972, John and Cheryl were married at the Waldo United Methodist Church. Together they shared over thirty nine loving years of marriage and raised two children, Justin and Charity, whom he adored.
For several years, John worked with machinery at the BF Goodrich Company in Green Camp while attending college. He attended The Ohio State University and earned an Associate’s Degree from the Mansfield Business College. John was establishing his own business, Rupp Insurance, in 1984, the year Charity was born. He dedicated himself to his clients, “whom he loved and were more friends than clients.” He didn’t like having formal meetings with his clients and instead would take them for pie and coffee.
A man of the deepest faith, John was a member of the Dayspring Wesleyan Church, and whose “greatest wish was that everyone he knew loved Jesus”. He was involved in their church “plant” in Westerville, the Dayspring Chapel, for whom he served as their treasurer. Formerly, he was a member of the Church of the Nazarene and was a part of their dynasty of a softball team.
John was active with the Gideons and had ministries with the Youth Juvenile Prison, State Juvenile Prison, and Marion Multi-County Jail, where he shared his faith with others.
Always putting his family first, John absolutely loved his family, especially his two children, whom he was very proud of and often bragged about. He was a “one in a million dad,” which is why his daughter will forever be a “Daddy’s girl.”
While, “you can take the boy out the farm, you can’t take the farm out of the boy.” For John, this saying holds true. Every year he looked forward to planting his garden, especially tending to his sweet corn.
A jack of all trades, John could do or fix anything he set his mind to. He enjoyed woodworking, making things such as a tree house and a giant doll house to spoil his children.
With a love for antiques, John was always going “junking” in search of treasures, such as his 1938 Chevy and his antique John Deere tractors. He also was in search for his favorite car that he once drove, his 1963 Corvette Sting Ray.
Having a close relationship with his wife’s family, John enjoyed fishing trips, particularly to Canada with his father-in-law and brothers-in-law, who designated him as the official cook on their trips, his forte being his famous blueberry pancakes.
A quiet man, John had an off-the-cuff, dry sense of humor that would catch you off guard but have you in stitches. It could also be said that he was strong-headed, but he stuck by what he believed in and never wavered Most importantly of all, John was a “soul winner,” helping lead many to Christ.
John will forever be missed by his beloved wife, Cheryl Sue (Hollaway) Rupp of Marion; two adored children: Justin Wade Rupp of Marion, and Charity Lynne Rupp of Noblesville, IN; four siblings: Nancy (James) Page of Greenville, SC, William “Bill” (Nancy Jo) Rupp of Fredericktown, James (Shirley) Rupp of Mount Gilead, and Richard (Kathy) Rupp of Chattanooga, TN; parents-in-law, William H. “Bill” and Iretta Hollaway of Waldo; three sisters and brothers-in-law: Ruth Ann (James) Faehnle of Hilliard, William A. (Marilyn) Hollaway of Waldo, and Lisa Hollaway of Waldo; a very close friend, Ross Rosen of Marion; many nieces and nephews, and two “grand kitties”: Butters and Isabelle.
Including his parents, John was preceded in death by his niece, Heather Marie Faehnle, of Hilliard.
The Rupp family will greet friends from 4 – 8 p.m. on Thursday, March 22, 2012, at the Dayspring Wesleyan Church, 2431 Marion-Mount Gilead Rd. (SR 95), Marion. Services giving glory to God and celebrating his homecoming will also be held there on Friday at 11:00 a.m., with Pastors Chuck Osborne and Dave Holdren officiating. Burial with military honors provide by the Marion County United Veterans Council will follow in Chapel Heights Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, his family requests that memorial contributions be made to either Gideons International or the Dayspring Wesleyan Church, and they may be sent in care of the funeral home.
Denzer-Farison-Hottinger & Snyder Funeral Home is honored to have been chosen to serve John’s family, and your private condolences may be expressed to them online by visiting www.snyderfuneralhomes.com.
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