Ken Rappe's life was one that was long, fruitful, diverse and highlighted by honor, dedication, commitment and love.  His story spans 71 years, 5 continents, multiple countries and numerous states and he undoubtedly made an indelible mark on so many people.

Ken was born in Madison, WI on April 2nd, 1946 to Elmer (Hank) and Arva Rappe.  Ken was the youngest of 3 boys, Jack, the oldest, Dick and Ken.  Three things became evident from a young age, and those were his strong work ethic, insatiable curiosity, and relentless determination.  These characteristics would mold Ken into the man that he was and the journey that he would embark upon for the remainder of his life.

Ken joined the Navy at 18 years old, and throughout his time serving our country he learned the skills that would eventually lead to his career in electronics.  During his years in the Navy and overseas, Ken saw Cuba, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Hawaii, Philippines, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam, and sailed behind the USS Enterprise -- not the Star Trek ship, for those who were wondering -- to pick up pilots who might have to ditch their planes.

After the Navy, Ken moved to NJ and found employment at Raytheon repairing radars on both US and foreign commercial ships, traveling throughout the NJ, NY, DE and MD areas.  Anyone that knew and loved Ken remembers how mathematical he was about most things, and in true Ken Rappe fashion he calculated that 1 ship per day x average 30 men per ship x 5 days a week x 50 weeks per year x 28 years = approx. 210,000 men protected at sea by Ken's expertise and dedication to his job.  One person, in this case Ken, can and did make a difference.

In 1988, Ken married Sherry Rasmussen (Lewis) in Stevens Point, WI.  Coincidentally, Sherry and her family were the next-door neighbors to the Rappes while growing up in Madison.  Ken and Sherry re-met at Hank and Arva's 50th wedding anniversary party and the result was a 29-year marriage involving 5 kids - Ken's children, Damon, Tiffany and Trisha, and Sherry's kids, Andrea and Nick; 6 grandkids - Matthew, Tyler, Rachel, Samantha, Mikey and Conner; "adopted" family - Jennifer, Shawn, Henry, Austin, and SaraAn; and 7 granddogs - Brewski, Alvin, Herschel, Sheena, Rudy, Drizzit and Chloe.  Ken and Sherry were loving and dedicated parents and grandparents and nothing brought Ken more joy than being around family.

Other than family, one of Ken's greatest loves was watching his beloved Green Bay Packers.  Even though NJ was a less-than-ideal place to consistently watch the Green and Gold play, Ken sported his cheesehead and Packer gear each and every Sunday to support the team that represented his home state of Wisconsin.

His other favorite sports teams were those in which his kids and grandkids participated in.  Ken was always eager to cheer on his family during baseball, softball, basketball, soccer games and tennis matches, as well as plays, concerts, band performances and any other activity that was an integral part of his kids' and grandkids' lives.  From the perspective of his family, there was almost always one constant during extra-curricular activities, and that was seeing Ken and Sherry in the crowd regardless of the activity.

Ken's other hobbies included painting oil on canvas and wood-burnt art pieces.  Ken used to record Bob Ross TV shows on VHS and would watch them for technique and tips on how to paint "happy little trees," as well as to draw inspiration for his own pieces of art.  It wasn't always obvious, but within Ken resided an extremely talented and exceptionally creative artist.  Some pieces were displayed at the house, while others were generously given to friends and family.

Throughout his life, Ken always displayed heart, courage, perseverance, especially after becoming disabled nearly 20 years ago, but his chronic pain was imperceivable to most people who he came in contact with because of his positive outlook and continued faith in God.  Ken and Sherry's church family has always been a very important piece of the puzzle for them and their family is beyond appreciative for everything their church family and friends have done.  Although he may not have known it, Ken was an inspiration to more people than can be counted, and he provided that adverse situations can have silver linings and yield positive results.  Ken was more than just a great person, he was a true man of God, a dedicated husband, father, grandfather and "bapa" and will always be remembered for his sacrifice, his love, his virtues and the impact that he had on so many.

Relatives and friends are invited to his visitation on Saturday, January 27, 10 to 11 AM at the First United Methodist Church, 201 Dayton Ave., Collingswood, NJ 08108.  Celebration of Life will follow at 11 AM.  Interment private.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his memory to the Mission Fund at the church address above or Operation Smile at http://support.operationsmile.org/site/TR?px=2663004&pg=personal&fr_id=2453&s_locale=en_US&et=q_fJS52OU6UHF-dWYqc-7jA&s_tafld=6371 .

Arrangements by the FOSTER-WARNE FUNERAL HOME, Collingswood & Audubon, NJ.