Johnny Fripp, the oldest alumni of the Ottawa Rough Riders and possibly the entire Canadian Football League, has died at the age of 101.
Fripp played for the Riders straight out of Glebe Collegiate and was rookie of the year in 1941. After serving in the Second World War, he went on to have a 30-year career as a ski racer and instructor, earning himself a spot in the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame.
Born in Ottawa, he was the eldest of three boys. His father, Herbert, established an insurance and real estate firm, H.D. Fripp & Son Ltd., in 1923. John took over in 1950, after his football career was over. He had four children with his first wife, Virginia, and adopted a daughter with his second wife, Liz.
Fripp was in good health until the final weeks of his life and was well-known in local sports circles. When he turned 99, Ottawa’s football and sport communities presented him with a special No. 99 Redblacks jersey.
Fripp died Thursday evening at the Perley Health centre.
To contact Kelly Egan, please call 613-291-6265 or email kegan@postmedia.com
VIA: https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/egan-it-was-very-profound-buried-unconscious-skier-reunites-with-rescuers
Obituary
It is with deep sadness, we announce the passing of John Downing Fripp, aged 101 years from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Born in Ottawa Feb 11, 1921, he passed in his sleep from natural causes March 24, 2022 at the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre. The son of Herbert Downing Fripp and Nora C Thompson, John was the older sibling to Ian and Shaun. He was the father of five children: Jay, David, Kim, Robert and Renee. He is survived by his much beloved wife of 60 years, Lizabeth. John was predeceased by his brother Ian, his first wife Virginia Henline-Fripp, his sons Jay and David, and his grandson Isaac Mills. He leaves a large loving family including 23 grand and great grandchildren, to whom he was a true inspiration and hero. We would like to thank the staff at the Colonel By Retirement Residence for the exceptional care that John received over the past four years and for the compassionate palliative care extended at the Perley Centre over the past several weeks.
John was loved by many, including his family and many members of the community, having touched so many lives around Ottawa and beyond. He was an avid skier for most of his life, racing and winning many awards throughout a storied career. He served in the Royal Canadian Air Force training Ski Troopers during WW2 even though his first dream was to be a pilot; color blindness derailing that option. He was the First Canadian to direct a Ski School at Mont Tremblant when directors were usually of Austrian decent and even had a downhill ski trail named after him (Fripp). He was inducted into the Canadian Ski Hall of Fame in 1988 to acknowledge all of his successes he had on the slopes. Off the slopes, Johnny played professional football for the Canadian Football League at a time when leather helmets were still used (1941-47). He was a local favorite for the Ottawa Trojans, he came to play with the Rough Riders (currently known as the Red Blacks) further cementing his place in the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame. He successfully ran the family insurance business, H. D. Fripp & Son Ltd., for 40 years. John and his wife traveled frequently, often spending months overseas in New Zealand and Europe. He will be remembered as a fun loving, charismatic and charming individual, a loving husband, father and grandfather, who was always happy to share a chat, a beer and a chuckle.
A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date. Keep watching this site for details on the Celebration of Life.
Published on March 26, 2022
VIA: https://ottawacitizen.remembering.ca/obituary/john-fripp-1084738752
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