Ray Ruppert, `Unassuming' Religion Editor

No one who came in contact with Ray Ruppert could have walked away without being touched by his kindness, warmth and helping hand. He was affectionately known around The Seattle Times as "Father Ruppert" during his long tenure as The Times' religion editor.

"He was a gentle, gentle man," said James B. King, the retired executive editor and senior vice president of The Times who worked with Mr. Ruppert for many years. King accorded Mr. Ruppert the highest accolade: "Ray was a real pro," approaching each story fairly and objectively, said King.

Mr. Ruppert died Sunday evening after a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. He had been staying at the Marionwood Extended Care Services facility, operated by the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace in Issaquah, said his wife of 51 1/2 years, Hazel. He was 75.

When he retired from The Times in 1983, Mr. Ruppert was first diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, but doctors later identified his disease as Parkinson's, Mrs. Ruppert said.

Ruth Velozo, executive director of Northwest Harvest, the state's largest distributor of food to local hunger programs, called Mr. Ruppert an inspiration.

Mr. Ruppert raised the public's awareness about the need for food banks as the Boeing Bust washed over Seattle in the late 1960s and early '70s. Velozo recalled how Mr. Ruppert not only sought out data and details of the ecumenical food-bank proposal that came to be known as Neighbors in Need. But most of all he wanted to talk to people who were hurting, she said.

"I learned from him to always talk directly to the people who were suffering," said Velozo, her voice cracking as she talked of Mr. Ruppert. "I'm still torn up," she said of the news of Mr. Ruppert's death.

Mr. Ruppert, whose quiet, unpretentious work habits were a distinct contrast to the hurly burly of the daily newsroom, often is credited with reporting two of the bigger stories in recent state history:

The establishment of Washington's food-bank network in the 1970s, and Catholic Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen's opposition to the nuclear-arms buildup in the 1980s. It was Mr. Ruppert who first reported Hunthausen's proposal in 1981 that a sizable number of people in the state withhold half their income taxes to protest "nuclear murder and suicide."

Hunthausen described Mr. Ruppert as a kind and unassuming person. "All the church executives had a great deal of respect for Ray. And everyone knew him."

Henry MacLeod, retired managing editor of The Times, said Mr. Ruppert was "ecumenical in his coverage," meaning he displayed an even hand in covering religious denominations and faiths.

The Rev. William Cate, retired president-director of the Church Council of Greater Seattle, said Mr. Ruppert was a consummate interpreter of the ecumenical church movement in Seattle.

Asked what he thought Mr. Ruppert's most important story was, Cate laughed and recalled how Mr. Ruppert reported around 1971 that the council was short of its $65,000 budget and if denominations didn't chip in, Cate was going to leave. Mr. Ruppert hadn't talked to Cate, but was so plugged in that he knew exactly what was up. His story spurred churches to balance the budget, and Cate ended up staying 20 years.

Mr. Ruppert was the son of a coal miner. He grew up in Jonesville, Roslyn and Ronald in Kittitas County, and in Black Diamond in South King County.

Mr. Ruppert began his journalism career at The Sedro-Woolley Courier Times and then at the Yakima Daily Republic.

At various stages he was the Republic's women's section editor, city editor and managing editor. He eventually became executive editor of both The Yakima Morning Herald and The Yakima Daily Republic, the afternoon paper. He also served for a time as editor of Yakima's Catholic diocesan newspaper.

Mr. Ruppert left Yakima for The Tacoma News Tribune in the mid-1960s and after a stint on the News Tribune's copy desk, he moved to the copy desk of The Times in 1967.

Lane Smith, Mr. Ruppert's predecessor as The Times' religion editor, was serving as an assistant city editor when he selected Mr. Ruppert to be the new Times religion editor in 1968 from among four applicants.

"I liked his philosophy, his deep interest in religion," said Smith. "And he was scrupulously fair about what he did."

Smith said religion coverage often can foreshadow events to come in the general society. Mr. Ruppert became an early chronicler of hunger and peace issues through his religion coverage, said Smith.

For his work, Mr. Ruppert was honored many times. In 1971, for his coverage of the food-bank effort, he was awarded the James O. Supple Award by the nation's religion writers. It is considered the "Pulitzer Prize" of religion reporting. He also was honored in 1983 with a citation by the Washington Region of the National Conference of Christians and Jews for his coverage of the various religious communities in the area.

Mr. Ruppert kept his personal religious views out of his stories, and many sources never knew what his faith was. He was a Roman Catholic and a former parish council member at Blessed Sacrament Church near Seattle's University District.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Ruppert is survived by four children, Paula Vallery of Mill Creek, Gregory Ruppert of Pasco, Rosemary Titus of Edmonds and Thomas Ruppert of North Pole, Alaska. A fifth child, James Ruppert, passed away in January. Mr. Ruppert is also survived by a brother, Shirley Ruppert of Black Diamond, and five grandchildren.

Funeral services are pending.