John J. Rapp Jr.

1992 - 2020

Rapp, John J. Jr. DELMAR John Joseph Rapp Jr. passed away on November 1, 2020. John was born in Albany on July 12, 1992, to John Joseph Rapp Sr. and Kim Karz Pike. He was raised in Delmar and graduated from Bethlehem Central High School in 2010. He went on to attend Hudson Valley Community College, receiving an associate degree in automotive technical services. Upon graduation he worked for two local G.M. dealerships, obtaining master level certification. At the time of his death, he was employed at his father's dealership, Action Automotive Service in Hudson. Growing up John loved summer trips to Hampton Beach and the Adirondacks. He was fascinated by all forms of extreme weather events, leading him to watch endless re-runs of Twister and plowing snow in the midst of an old fashioned nor'easter. At an early age, John developed a passion for fixing anything with an engine that eventually led to building race cars and summer racing at Lebanon Valley Speedway. John also applied his talent by donating countless hours to fixing and maintaining cars and trucks for friends and family. Most of all, John will be remembered as a free and generous spirit and world class dancer at any celebration he participated in. In his short life, John accumulated a near endless number of friends and acquaintances who were universally drawn to his emotional intensity, his deep sense of care and compassion, and his unique ability to make you feel that you and your concerns were the only thing that mattered. He was generous to a fault and immensely talented, "he could diagnose and fix anything on a car without even a blink" (as per his uncle's words). He will be missed and remembered by all for days and years to come. In addition to his parents, John leaves behind his stepfather John Pike of Delmar; his sisters, Jessica Hulihan (Tim) of Wilton, and Kaitlyn Pike of Delmar; his brother Shawn Pike (Lauren) of Alexandria, Va.; and nephews, Quinn and Pierce Hulihan of Wilton, and Wesley Pike of Alexandria, Va. He also leaves behind his maternal grandparents, Carol and Frank St. Mary of Castleton; paternal grandparents, Margaret B. Rapp of Castleton, and the late Willard C. Rapp. John is survived by many loving aunts and uncles: Carolyn Donahue of East Greenbush, Benjamin Karz (Alicia) of Brunswick, Christine Miller (Mark) of Buffalo, Judy Pashall (Steve) of Manalapan, N.J., Barbara Gordon of North Greenbush, Cathy Cunningham of Glens Falls, Diane Hall (Paul) of Rensselaer, William Rapp (Joan) of Castleton, Margaret LaHera (Steve) of Castleton, Dave Rapp (Michelle) of Castleton, and Paul Rapp (Vesta) of Rotterdam, and several loving cousins. Calling hours will be held on Friday, November 6, from 4-7 p.m. at Ray Funeral Home in Castleton. Interment will be held on Saturday, November 7, at 11 a.m. in the New Sacred Heart Cemetery, South Old Post Road, Castleton, followed by a celebration of John's life at 11:30 a.m. at Moscatiello's Italian Restaurant, 99 North Greenbush Rd., Troy. Masks are required and social distancing will be practiced for calling hours and at Moscatiello's. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to remember John in a special way may make a donation to the: John Rapp Jr. Automotive Scholarship, HVCC Foundation, 80 Vandenburg Ave., Troy, NY, 12180.