RIP Rip Riopelle

By Betsy and Brian Riopelle

Legendary Ottawa scribe Eddie MacCabe once wrote when describing the Riopelle family, “They were not people of lofty station or wide fame perhaps, but the salt of the earth and the soul of communities. There was no show with them, no pretense, no affectations; just down-to-earth, do your job, give your best, and don’t be coming in here with a lot of excuses either.”

The Riopelle family lost a key member when Harold F. “Rip” Riopelle, 87, of Richmond, Va., died peacefully Thursday, Jan. 28, 2021, in the company of his children. Rip was the son of the late Edith and Hugh Riopelle, of Ottawa. He was preceded in death by his wife of 46 years, Alice O. Riopelle, and his son, Stephen P. Riopelle.

He is survived by his children and their spouses, Brian and Betsy Riopelle, and Kathleen and Matt Roberts; sister Joan Farrell of (Port Hope, Ont.), and brothers Hugh and Gerald (Ottawa, Ont.); sister-in-law and brother-in-law Karen and Buster O’Brien of Virginia Beach; grandchildren Fain, Kyle, and Kate Riopelle, and Henry and Sophie Roberts; and nephew Michael Arundel and niece Mary Kay Arundel (London, Ont.).

Rip resided at St. Mary’s Woods and was a faithful member of St. Mary’s Catholic Church. Born and raised on Champagne Avenue in Ottawa, he came south to attend St. Lawrence University on a hockey scholarship in Canton, N.Y., where he met his beloved wife Alice. After graduation, they made their home briefly in Brockville, Ont., before moving permanently to Virginia.

Rip’s first career in concrete sales lasted over 30 years. He then embarked on a second career as a probation and parole officer, and volunteered as a visitor at St. Mary’s Hospital. Rip was inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

Harold may have left Ottawa as a young man but the lessons learned from growing up at 16 Champagne Ave. remained with him throughout his life. The respect, the humility, his love of family and love for the game of hockey made the annual pilgrimage to Ottawa every August, a must.

On the agenda were two absolutes - attending the Riopelle family reunion and a chance to gather and reminisce with his friends and former teammates at the Ottawa Valley Hockey Oldtimers annual golf outing. It was there you could always catch Rip enjoying his round of golf with his big brother Hughie or sharing a few minutes of quiet time with his former Ottawa Montagnards linemate Brian Kilrea before dinner was served. Kilrea scored the first goal in Los Angeles Kings history and returned home to coach the Ottawa 67s and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

In Acts 20, the apostle Paul commends to us “the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” In 2 Corinthians 9, he writes that “whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

To know Rip Riopelle was to know a cheerful giver. His family and dear friends will remember him for his role as holder of the Christmas wrapping paper trash bag, from which vantage point he delighted in the joy of his family as they opened their gifts; for his confusingly generous hospitality to visitors who were first instructed “Just make yourself at home. We will treat you like one of the family, so don’t expect us to wait on you,” immediately followed by, “Now sit down and relax. What can I bring you?”; for his enjoyment of intense conversations about hockey, anything Canada, golf, and interesting beer, and for his willingness to pretend to enjoy conversations about anything else; for his stubbornness in refusing to inconvenience others, to the point of seriously suggesting that he take a taxi home from the hospital after surgery; for his invention of the drive-by joke, which involved knocking on the front door with the car running, telling a terrible joke to whichever grandchild answered the door, and then chuckling as he jogged back to the car and drove away; for his steadfast support in any endeavour, delivered in a quiet side conversation where he assured you of success and also assured you that he had your back whatever happened; for his confidence-inspiring genuine belief in the superior intelligence, talent, good intentions, and good looks of those he loved; for the twinkle in his eye, the smile on his lips, and the song at the table and in his heart, and for teaching us how to live a life of gratitude and giving.

We tried to love him as much as he loved us, but that was an impossible task. Harold’s character and love of life was forged in that tiny home at 16 Champagne Avenue.

A grave side service will be held at Westhampton Memorial Park with Rev. Mark Richard Lane officiating. Friends wishing to attend may contact Brian or Kathleen before the service to ascertain details.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made on-line to St. Mary’s Catholic Church of Richmond, Va., to a fund of your choosing.

He who gives heed to the word will prosper, and happy is he who trusts in the Lord. Proverbs 16:20

_ With files from Michael Arundel, Atlanta Bureau