Obituary - Harold Francis Riopelle

Riopelle, Harold Francis, 87, of Richmond, Virginia, died peacefully Thursday, January 28, 2021, in the company of his children. Rip was the son of the late Edith and Hugh Riopelle, of Ottawa, Canada. 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, Ontario; and brothers and their spouses, Hugh and Marie Riopelle, and Gerald and Jeannine Riopelle, all of Ottawa, Ontario; 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 many nephews and nieces, including Michael and Mary Kay Arundel and Happy, Paddy, and Erin O’Brien.

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, where he met his beloved wife, Alice. After graduation, they made their home briefly in Brockville, Ontario, 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 to patients at St. Mary’s Hospital. Rip was inducted into the St. Lawrence Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011.

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 just 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 endeavor, 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.

A private graveside service will be held at Westhampton Memorial Park on Saturday, February 6, 2021, at 10 a.m. with Rev. Mark Richard Lane officiating. A livestream of the service can be found at Blileys.com. 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.