Howard B. Rapp Jr.

HAMILTON- Howard B. Rapp, Jr. passed away October 18 at his home in Hamilton.
He is survived by six adult children: Chuck Rapp (and wife, Vicky) of Raleigh, NC; Patricia Colwell of Ashland, OR; Steve Rapp (and wife, Sherrie) of Walla Walla, WA; Andrea Suttell (and husband, Steve) of Eureka, CA; Dave Rapp (and wife, Marci Greenberg) of Seattle, WA; and Toni Campbell, his close friend and lead caregiver, whom he adopted in 2009. He is also survived by 20 grand children and 24 great grand children. Howard was married to his high school sweetheart, Peg Rapp, for 58 years until her death, here in Hamilton, in 2001.
Born on May 18, 1921 in Kokomo, IN, Howard moved to Santa Ana, CA with his parents and older sister Patricia, when Howard was about 5 years old. Those early years were spent humbly. He remembered splurging on five-cent treats from the ice cream truck after he was lucky enough to find a nickel on the sidewalk.
- Howard reminisced in a memoir that he went to high school when "gasoline was 18 cents a gallon, bread was less than 10 cents a loaf, and Hitler and Mussolini dominated the headlines." He and Peg began dating after a Sadie Hawkins Day dance in their junior year. They both graduated in 1939 from Santa Ana High School.
- After high school, Howard attended Stanford University and graduated early in the spring of 1943 with a degree in engineering. He returned to Santa Ana to propose to Peg. They married on August 4, but there was no time for a proper honeymoon. They spent their first days as a married couple driving 14 hours each day to cross the United States so Howard could report for active duty in the U.S. Army. He served as an artillery officer in General Patton's Third Army.
- After the war was won, Howard was honorably discharged, and he joined Towner Manufacturing Company in Santa Ana, California. This was his father's company and where he had worked after school, most weekends and during school vacations since he was a young teenager. After being there for awhile, he became the vice president of sales and a junior partner/owner of the company.
Howard modestly claimed his first business success was due to sheer luck. The sales of farm implements Towner sold was very slow, so he decided the company needed one less owner, and he offered to sell out. When the other owners couldn't offer him much for his share, he asked for part ownership of a long neglected and presumably forgotten patent. He did this to save face, he said. Little did he know that one of the big companies in the industry- he doesn't remember which- would soon offer to buy the patent. He used the money he received to begin investing in real estate in his hometown, Santa Ana ... buying old houses, fixing them up himself and putting them on the rental market.
Within a few years, the value of real estate in the area, which had become the county seat, had increased substantially, and Howard and Peg began sharing a portion of their income with others, something which they continued here in the Valley.
- Howard always enjoyed good clean fun with his family. One year on Halloween, his kids made a cardboard tunnel from one side of the yard to the other. The tunnel was adorned with day-glo paint, hanging threads for cobwebs, and other scary things. He and Peg dressed up for the evening ... Howard as a ghost. He painted one side of his face blue, the other white, and parked himself at the start of the tunnel. Peg was the wickedest witch in the city, and she stood guard at the other end.
- Word got out about this crazy new Halloween 'trick', and soon there was a constant flow of visitors from all over town. All was fun and games until 16-year-old son number one was caught by the police creating his own, slightly less harmless fun. (Throwing eggs and tomatoes) The policeman who escorted their son home wanted to have a chat with the boy's parents ... still in costume. The tunnel was closed and future Halloweens were spent doling out candy, like everyone else.
- Fast forward about 25 years to about 1980, give or take a few years to Howard and Peg's purchase of some land in Hamilton. Their love of the town and the valley grew with every friendly encounter with Hamiltonians on the sidewalk, every stop to admire the area's beauty, and every passing season.
- Howard and Peg quickly became involved in the community. They volunteered at the Daly Mansion and the library. Their love of the land led them to donate and volunteer with the Nature Conservancy. To honor Peg, Howard created a program to help local high school students without enough financial means to go to college or get vocational training. He also started a program to help youngsters get orthodontia care ... those students who needed to improve their health and self-image.
- Planning for his death, Howard asked his family to forego a memorial service. However, the family acknowledges that some may wish to honor his memory with donations, and suggests that memorials may be made to the Bitterroot Public Library Foundation or another local charity. Friends and admirers can carry on his legacy of giving ... by doing a good deed for anyone in need.
- Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Daly-Leach Chapel. The family will have a private ceremony at a later date to place the urn.