'Archie' Ruprecht, 82, had a life 'rich in relationships'
Out of that barren emotional start — and an off-and-on struggle with depression — flowered a surprising gift.
Dr. Ruprecht matured into an unusually caring and sensitive man.
The physician could see past people's defenses and into their hearts, say his friends and family. And he willingly revealed his heart in return.
"There was a deep and holy authenticity about the man," said the Very Rev. Robert Taylor, dean of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle. "I think it's part of why so many people were intuitively drawn to him."
"Archie" Ruprecht — Seattle psychiatrist and lay leader of St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral — died Feb. 7 at Harborview Medical Center after a fall while playing squash that left him paralyzed from the neck down. He was 82.
He survived for six days after the fall, communicating his love to friends and family by blinking.
The elegant, intelligent man was born Feb. 1, 1922, in Philadelphia, the youngest of two sons in a family descended from old German roots. His strict, aloof parents did not give him the nurturing he felt he needed, said his daughter, Wendy Rose of Portland.
But that early life and later depression helped him accept others.
When Dr. Ruprecht died, he had hundreds of friends from all walks of life, rich and poor.
When a person came to him, he revealed his own struggles and failings, then often offered hope and ideas of things they could do to fulfill their life's promise, said his friend Therese Day.
Dr. Ruprecht's early education took place at a private prep school called the Episcopal Academy, founded in 1785.
He went on to graduate from Harvard University and from Columbia University, where he earned a medical degree. He completed his residencies in internal medicine at Bellevue Hospital in New York and Cleveland City Hospital.
Soon after, he moved to Seattle, where he joined Firland Sanatorium, a large hospital for patients with chest diseases, primarily tuberculosis. At some point, Dr. Ruprecht also contracted tuberculosis and ended up hospitalized for more than a year.
He later characterized those long months in bed as a time of grace and reflection.
As time went on, Dr. Ruprecht became increasingly fascinated with human behavior. That led to a residency in psychiatry at the University of Washington.
He became Boeing's first company psychiatrist in the early 1960s. Later he was an admitting physician at Seattle's Veterans Administration hospital.
Throughout his life, Dr. Ruprecht participated in the Grant Study of human development that followed a group of sophomores at Harvard for nearly 60 years.
He rediscovered his Episcopalian roots about 25 years ago and joined St. Mark's, where he was a pastoral leader through the Stephens Ministry and often visited the homebound.
He was known for always wearing a beautiful cardigan sweater and a wise smile.
In his spare time, Dr. Ruprecht traveled and wrote, attended theater, tutored children, read voluminously, gardened and played competitive squash three times a week.
"He lived a very simple life, but it was very rich in relationships. He valued people more than things," said his son, David Ruprecht of Monarch Beach, Calif.
Besides his daughter and son, Dr. Ruprecht is survived by two grandchildren, Caitlin and Kevin Rose.
The funeral service took place Friday. Memorials may be made to St. Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, 1425 10th Ave. E., Seattle, WA 98102, or to the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation, 500 Morris Ave., Springfield, NJ 07081, www.christopherreeve.org
Marsha King: 206-464-2232 or mking@seattletimes.com