Richard Anthony Ropele

Richard Anthony Ropele was born August 28, 1945 at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Orange, California. Rick was an Army Infantry Vietnam Veteran; drafted for service during the Vietnam Campaign. He proudly served in the Americal Division where he received the Combat Infantryman’s Badge as well as the Purple Heart for wounds received in action during the Tet Offensive in 1968.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Cathy Ropele, their 5 children and spouses: Rae and Rick Azstalos, Dina and Isaac Santos, Lisa and Aaron Hatfield, Rodney and Tiffany Ropele and Andrew Ropele, and 8 grandchildren: Maddison, Sunnie, Mark, Tyler, Stella, Jack, Isaac, and Eva. He is also survived by his brother Don Ropele and his wife Leslie and their two children, Mark and Michele, and grand-nieces Skyler and Summer. He is preceded by death by his parents, Ray and Anne Ropele of Tustin, CA.

Rick will always be remembered as a man of service who valued family, kindness, and humor. He loved reading, crossword puzzles, travel, playing practical jokes on his co-workers, and mowing his lawn. He loved the lord and was a prayerful man. Rick was a handsome man; he often claimed he would be mistaken for Tom Selleck.

He was a man of many dreams, one in fact was that he dreamed of eating a giant marshmallow…and when he woke up, his pillow was gone. This was one of many of his favorite jokes to tell his young children and now his grandchildren.

He will be forever loved and greatly missed by many.

Forever Poppy.