Raymond H. Bruppacher passed away on March 26th. Ray was born on August 10, 1949 to Herman and Dorothy Bruppacher (Bengal), and spent his formative years in River Edge, NJ, and graduated from River Dell Regional High School. Ray attended Stevens Institute of Technology and majored in mechanical engineering. He participated in the Army ROTC program and served in the National Guard from 1971 to 1977. He met his future wife, Mary Ann (Shields) of Dumont, NJ, in 1977 at the Bergenfield Adult School where she took Ray’s auto mechanic class. The two would marry in 1984 and settle into Ray’s childhood home. Later in 1984, they purchased their forever home in River Vale where they raised their son, John.
Ray’s love of cars brought him to Bergenfield in 1970 where he worked as a mechanic at Bergenfield Exxon. In 1971, he became a minority owner of the business and in 1978, became co-owner with Brian McDowell, who was his business partner for over 43 years. Together, they built a business they were immensely proud of - helping the community with their cars and establishing long-term relationships with so many customers and families in Bergenfield and the surrounding towns. Everyone knew Ray and Brian and knew they could count on them to help them with their car troubles.
Ray loved going to work at Bergenfield Exxon every day and did so up until his passing. He enjoyed talking with customers who stopped by to say hello or get work done. He was always helpful and willing to lend a hand to everyone and mentored many dedicated employees through the years.
Ray could fix anything, whether at work or at home. He made sure he passed this knowledge onto John his “laddie”. By the age of two, John knew how to use all the tools on his tool belt. Father and son spent countless hours through the years working on home projects. Ray passed along his love of cars as well. Many weekends were spent attending car shows and eventually became wonderful destination trips for father and son. Ray owned a 1940 Chevy Street Rod that he loved working on at home and taking for drives - sunny days only!
John fell in love with Lauren Kubler while they were freshmen in high school. Ray and Mary Ann welcomed her immediately into the family. She was the daughter they never had. Lauren and Ray shared so many things in common that she quickly became known as “little Ray”. Lauren, a registered nurse, provided so much love and care to Ray through the years. Lauren and John were engaged in March of 2020 and will be married this May. Ray will be there in spirit to share their beautiful day.
Ray’s love of food could only be admired. Luckily for him, he married a girl who loved to cook and bake. Mary Ann filled their home with wonderful smells and delicious meals, and Ray was always happy to try any new recipe. He loved the holidays because they were always celebrated with family and friends along with special cookies and desserts baked by Mary Ann and John.
Ray was an amazing man who always smiled and never said no to anyone asking for his help or advice. He will be missed deeply by his family, friends, business partner, customers, and all the countless people he assisted along the way.
Ray is survived by his wife, Mary Ann, of River Vale; his son, John Herman Bruppacher of Farmington, CT; and his future daughter-in-law, Lauren Rae Kubler of River Vale. He is also survived by his sister, Janet Gaston, and her husband, Richard; his niece Jamie Gaston; his nephews Timothy and Brian Gaston; and his brother-in-law, Peter, and his wife, Mary, of San Antonio, TX.
Visitation will be Thursday, April 1st, 4-8 p.m., at Becker Funeral Home on 219 Kinderkamack Road in Westwood, NJ. A Funeral Service will be held on Friday, April 2nd, at 10 a.m. at Becker Funeral Home. Interment will follow at the South Presbyterian Church Historic Cemetery, 150 W. Church Street, Bergenfield, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations in Ray’s memory may be made to the NJ Sharing Network at njsharingnetwork.org.
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