E. Peter Rypl

1941 - 2020

Emil Peter Rypl, 78, of Canton, died at home on Tuesday, May 12, 2020 after a brief illness. His beloved wife, Karin (Kinscherf) Rypl, his fiercely loving daughters Kyla Rypl and Kelsey Rypl and devoted sons-in-law Richard Bradley and Dr. Jonathan Kaplan were at his side during his final days. Peter was born in Nyack, New York on November 25, 1941 to the late William and Amelia (Piana) Rypl, the second of three children. He attended Tappan Zee High School, and graduated from St. Bonaventure University in 1964 with a B.B.A. He also studied at the University of Madrid, where he developed a lifelong love of the Spanish language and culture. Peter enlisted in the U.S. Navy and worked as an engineer on several destroyers, including the USS Vigil and USS Basilone. He served during the Vietnam War, achieving the rank of lieutenant commander. Peter met Karin in 1970 while they were both employed by Otis Elevator Company, and they married in 1972. Peter spent 32 years at Otis in various roles, including Director of Worldwide Strategic Sales and Director of Sales for Latin American Operations, before becoming an independent consultant. Peter and Karin extensively traveled Latin America, living in Puerto Rico and Venezuela. They adopted their two girls from Bogotá, Colombia, raising them in Florida, New Jersey, Puerto Rico and finally Connecticut, Peter's home for the last 24 years. Peter was a gregarious, larger than life gentleman, who was deeply proud of his work, his service to his country, and his family. He was known affectionately as Don Pedro by his friends at Puerto Vallarta in Avon, Connecticut. Peter will be dearly remembered by his family, including nephew Michael Rypl; nephew Matthew Rypl and his wife Jennie; brother- and sister-in-law Karl and Joanne Kinscherf and their children Kurt and Kendra (Neal Etre); brother- and sister-in-law Kristopher and Theresa Kinscherf; and his Piana cousins. Peter was preceded in death by his elder brother William Rypl and sister-in-law Claudia (Lounsbury) Rypl, and their younger sister Marcia Rypl. A celebration of Peter's well-lived life will be held for family, friends, and loved ones at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Vietnam Veterans of America (vva.org) and the Lung Cancer Research Foundation (www.lungcancerresearchfoundation.org).