ForeverMissed
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His Life

Obituary

May 28, 2014

Robert S Rappel, 67, passed away peacefully in his home in Estes Park, Colorado on April 24, 2014.

Bob is survived by his mother, Ann Waller Rappel of Henderson, Nevada, his brother Jonathon Rappel (Sheila) of Henderson, Nevada, his brother Roger Rappel of Loveland, Co, his sister Nancy Zagorsky (Stanley) of Camas, Washington. Bob is survived by his former wife, Linda Rappel of Breckenridge, Co and their three children; Serena Rappel of Estes Park, Co, Beau Rappel (Teri) of Gill, Co, Jed Rappel (Letricia Croft) of Cochrane, Alberta and six grandchildren. Bob is survived by many aunts, uncles, cousins, as well as five nieces, nephews and their children.  

Bob was preceded in death by his father Capt. Robert Rappel, his birth mother Mary Olwell, his aunt Edith Kelly and his half-sister Mary Beth Olwell.

Bob was born in Bronx, Ny. He graduated from White Plains high in 1964. During high school, he loved going to the Brooklyn Fox Theater to hear bands before they were famous. He went on to study architectural/graphic design at University of Akron Ohio but wasn’t satisfied with the city life. His adventurous spirit led him to own leather shops in St Louis, Boulder and Estes Park, where he fell in love with the mountains. He met Linda Vogel of New Jersey when he was looking for volunteers to ride horses for a search of a missing boy in Wild Basin. They moved into the Steiner cabin on Big Owl Road and Bob took birthing lessons from Dr. Sam Luce in 1974 for Serena. Two years later Beau was born. Bob was known then for log home building in the Allenspark area, including the addition on The Old Gallery. The couple moved to the western slope of Colorado where Jed was born. Bob built the family home in Cedaredge and enjoyed providing a large garden for his family. Bob became very talented in the field of auto restoration, preferring classic models such as MG’s, Austin Healy’s, Jaguar, etc. This career continued when they moved back to Estes Park. In addition, Bob was an accomplished re-upholsterer of home furnishings, especially enjoying antiques and went on to include restaurant upholstery.  Later in life Bob purchased Munchin House and remodeled the store himself. He could often be found sitting out front sharing stories when he wasn’t scooping ice cream. Bob also owned Every Body’s Business for five years, hoping to share his love of massage and natural medicine with the general public. Throughout life, Bob enjoyed the outdoors, horses, philosophy, music, antiques, family, adventure and learning something new.

The family would like to express gratitude for the medical teams that made it possible for Bob to have more time with his family and friends; Curt Weibel at Timberline, Dr White and Dr Reynolds at Rocky Mountain Cardiology, Longmont United, Dr Brieke and the entire team at University of Colorado Hospitals. The family would also like to extend a special thank you to Don Irwin for being such a great caretaker and friend to Bob, especially in the last couple years. 

The family is planning a Celebration of Bob’s life in August.