Dr. James C. Rippel

11/17/1933 ~ 12/6/2020

Dr. James C. Rippel, 87, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on December 6, 2020 in Denham Springs, Louisiana. Born November 17, 1933 in his family’s home in Pangburn Hollow, Pennsylvania, he gained his hard work ethic from being a descendent of a farm family and spending his youth working on the Rippel Farm in Monongahela, Pennsylvania. In addition to working on the farm, his first “paying” job was scooping ice cream at Isaly’s (Home of the Skyscraper Cone). This earned him the endless and official title of Ice Cream Scooper for all family get-togethers and birthday parties. He graduated from Monongahela High School and earned his Doctor of Chiropractic from Bebout College of Chiropractic and Palmer College of Chiropractic. He was a U.S. Army Veteran, a Scottish Rite Freemason, and a Shriner. He was a longtime member of First United Methodist Church of Denham Springs. James moved to Denham Springs, Louisiana to practice Chiropractic in November of 1963 and was an early advocate for state licensing of Chiropractic. He enjoyed being a chiropractor and served his community for 56 years (total years of being a chiropractor – 59 years) before retiring in December of 2019. James was preceded in death by his parents Charles and Florence (Booth) Rippel, his brother Charles Rippel, and infant twins, Daniel and Samuel Rippel. He is survived by his beloved wife, Gail, his son David, his daughter in law Laura and their two children – Benjamin and Caroline, all of Plano, Texas, his son Brian, his daughter in law Nancy, and their two children – Chloe and Eva, all of Spotsylvania, Virginia, and his son Jeffrey, his daughter in law Krista and their two children – Andrew and William, all of Denham Springs, Louisiana. He is also survived by his sister Gertrude Urban of Orlando, Florida and many loving cousins, nieces, and nephews throughout the United States. James loved his family and took extreme pride in their accomplishments. In addition to his love for his children and grandchildren, one of his greatest passions was caring for the community. He loved the city of Denham Springs and Livingston Parish dearly, serving on the City Council and the Livingston Parish School Board. However, most remember “Doc” for all of the civic duties he performed for his hometown. He was often seen cleaning up around the interstate, picking up trash on Florida Blvd. or straightening and painting a post here or there. His family asks that you keep his memory alive by continuing the tradition and taking as much pride in Livingston Parish as Doc Rippel did. A Celebration of Life Memorial Service in Denham Springs will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to First United Methodist Church of Denham Springs, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, or Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital. Please sign the online guestbook at