John Richard Rupp, age 72 of Westbrook, passed away Saturday, February 4, 2023 at Sanford Medical Center in Sioux Falls.  Memorial Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, February 11, 2023 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Westbrook.  Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at church on Saturday.  Interment will be in the Pleasant View Cemetery in Dovray at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Lions KidSight.  

John Richard Rupp was born December 30, 1950 to Alfred and Luella (Asmussen) Rupp in Windom, Minnesota.  He was baptized at Rose Hill Lutheran Church and confirmed at Grace Lutheran Church in Westbrook.  John grew up on a farm south of Westbrook and attended country school for six years.  After the family moved to Mountain Lake, he graduated from Mountain Lake High School in 1968.  He went to the University of Minnesota Institute of Technology and graduated with an electrical engineering degree in 1972.  John met Connie Waldron on a blind date in college and they were united in marriage on June 26, 1971 at the Evangelical United Brethren Church in Waseca.  After graduation, John enlisted in the Army and went through Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill, OK.  He served in the Army from 1972 to 1980 and traveled to Oklahoma, Missouri, Hawaii and Utah.  After leaving the Army, he worked at Dugway Proving Ground, UT as a civilian engineer for 25 years.  When Connie retired in 2008, they decided to return to family in Minnesota and settled in Westbrook.  John was an active member of the Tooele Elks Lodge and the Utah Elks Association, where he served as state president.  He was a member of the American Legion, Kiwanis, and the Westbrook Lions Club.  John initiated the Lion KidSight program for southwest Minnesota.  He traveled to various cities to conduct training and screening of children’s eyes.  John was a member of Trinity Lutheran Church.  His hobbies included gardening, fishing, golf and traveling.  John and Connie traveled throughout the United States and Canada.  They particularly enjoyed their cruises to Alaska, the northeast coast and St. Lawrence Seaway to Quebec, and through the Panama Canal in 2018.  John was actively involved with the Windom AA group and thanks his AA family for continued sobriety.

John is survived by his wife of 51 years Connie; son Keith (Rachiel Reurink) Rupp; and sister Frances Falk.  He is preceded in death by his parents and brother Edwin Rupp.