David Joe Rupp

David Joe Rupp “DAVE” born on December 24, 1937, in Wichita, KS, passed away on June 6, 2024, in Palm Beach County, FL. Dave was known for his various passions and rather impressive accomplishments, throughout his life, many of which were MAJOR feats for any Man… As a young adult, David had a fierce passion & love for collecting Antique & Collector cars with equal feelings for Street racing - He turned his passion for cars into a professional career, winning numerous races and setting world records on the tracks, owning his 1st Car Lot in the 60’s & eventually moving onto owing his uniquely rare Antique Import & Collector Car Dealership in the early 80’s of which he named “GATSBYS” & was undoubtedly the talk of the town, as he himself always was due to his ability to make his Dreams come to LIFE! T One would be hard pressed to come up with something he hadn’t done or feat he hadn’t accomplished or taken part in the accomplishment of… anyone can “talk” but Dave had the FIRE inside to make it HAPPEN! In 1969, he organized & promoted a legendary rock festival at his racetrack, the "Palm Beach International Raceway” with the most popular bands of the 60’s: The Palm Beach Pop Festival • A three-day event took place on Thanksgiving weekend at the Palm Beach International Raceway. The festival featured many musical acts, including Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, Spirit, Sly and the Family Stone, Vanilla Fudge, Iron Butterfly, King Crimson, Jefferson Airplane, and The Rolling Stones. Its rare for a promoter to not only Organize their own event but to envision one of this magnitude, for its time, is nothing short of mind-blowing & to add on the fact that he also owned the venue (Palm Beach International Raceway) of which the festival took place, just adds to its WOW factor! Especially, when taking into account that Ownership of the racetrack was a feat in & of itself - with Dave setting out to SAVE its mere existence that was in grave jeopardy… In his words: “I wasn’t about to let all of those dedicated racers who made it their LIVES, their LIVELIHOODS have nowhere to GO, nowhere to RACE!” Dave Rupp was nothing short of HEROIC for his numerous accomplishments driven by the uniquely powerful FIRE that burned within him! He is undoubtedly a HERO to many & will be missed by all who had the pleasure of crossing paths with him haaaaaaaa annnnd some not so fond perhaps but GUARANTEED they made that choice that set the TONE, as he was a fair man, a compassionate man - A STRAIGHT SHOOTER indeed! Dave’s favorite HOBBY was playing pool & he was well known for cleaning out the pockets of unsuspecting opponents, to their GREAT surprise, as he had one heck of a Poker Face & an unmatched accuracy & skills for the game! His other well known LOVE for going out to Dinner set in motion some of his friends & family’s most precious moments spent with Dave. Sushi, especially rainbow rolls & scalding hot Sake & Fried Banana Ice cream were amongst his favorite foods! He, not surprisingly, had a GREAT LOVE for music, particularly Classic Rock, Blues, Deep Soul & TRUE FuNk … Making people laugh with his unprecedented finesse behind his often, inappropriately delivered humor - helping any man to temporarily forget their struggles, were some of his greatest joys & deeply appreciated & loved by many! Some INTERESTING FACTS: Europe held a special place in his heart - as traveling was one of his favorite things in the World, although he was such a Workhorse by nature that he rarely had the time - he made time to take his family & felt the Cultural exposure was a vital part of his Children’s development & understanding of the vast World … he cherished his favorite TV shows, which were mainly Westerns, of which he had ZERO issues watching repeatedly throughout the years! In his younger years, David excelled in football and was even offered multiple Professional opportunities. He excelled in Golf & played professionally in the 60’s & 70’s in Tournaments with his Golf Team in Florida & was Sponsored by a well known, ultra Prestigious Banking Institution… his friends would always say “He played a MEAN GAME of Golf!” Dave’s career achievements were remarkable, as he was an overachiever in anything he set his mind to, with 99% of his endeavors related to Cars. He knew & was personal friends with more famous people THAN famous people! Whom all loved him for his natural ways of admiring their talents yet wanting nothing from them but for them to just be themselves! His LIFE motto, signaling his unapologetic attitude, was captured in the phrase, "F! em!" as he proudly raised his middle finger in the air & often angled uniquely sideways which was a blatant sign of his intelligence & thirst to change any & everything to suit his needs - especially for the likes of personal expression! His defining characteristics included a unique sense of humor that only the intelligent could fully appreciate, along with his strength, charm, compassion, toughness, love, loyalty, dedication, & trustworthiness. Dave was known for his straightforwardness and NEVER sugar-coating his words! He had almost unbelievable LOVE for animals of which his daughter Taffy inherited… in the 70’s he bought an advanced, highly intelligent, Tailless Baby Monkey whom he named “CeeCee” & became an additional beloved family member… CeeCee would set the stage for various animals he had in the future to also be named “CeeCee” REASON till this Day UNKNOWN! He loved GINORMOUS dogs with his favorites being: - Old English Bull Mastiffs - Alaskan Huskies (which aren’t so ginormous) - Great Danes An anecdote that captures David's essence is his involvement in the Navy Special Forces before it was officially recognized as a designated position. He impacted the lives of others by always being there to help, especially those who were considered The Underdogs. David Joe Rupp “DAVE” will be greatly missed by his family, friends & ALLLLL those whose lives he touched with his kindness, and unwavering support. He is survived by his Wife - Georgia Wolfe, daughters - Taffy Rupp and Kimberly Wilcox, his son - David Rupp Jr, his sister - Yvonne Camille Ellis & his two granddaughters - Diana Rupp, who recently had a baby girl, presently living in Alaska & MaKenzie Wilcox a Nurse, presently living in Kansas.

David Joe Rupp

December 24, 1937 - July 6, 2024