Jack Wier Raper

Jack Raper passed away on March 10, 2021 in Banning, CA 24 days before his 90th birthday.

Born and raised in Bloomington, Indiana, he often told stories of growing up with his 2 brothers and 2 sisters during the Great Depression.

He joined the US Navy in 1950 and served as a medical corpsman aboard the hospital ship, USS Repose off the coast of North Korea.

Upon discharge Jack attended and graduated from the University of Indiana majoring in the Sciences and began a career in teaching of his favorite subjects Botany and Biology that spanned more that 4 decades and took him from Indiana to California. He settled in the Santa Cruz area where he taught Science at the Watsonville High School for many years. It was here that he met Roberta Armenta, the love of his life.

Jack was an avid birder and had a deep love of nature. He backpacked in Alaska and his trip of a lifetime was going on safari in Kenya. Throughout his life Jack was an active member of his church including St John the Baptist Episcopal Church in Capitola, where he and Roberta Armenta were married on Cinco de Mayo, 1978. They would have celebrated their 43rd anniversary on May 5, 2021. They also attended St. Stephens Episcopal when they moved to Beaumont, Ca.

In 1981-83, Jack and Roberta hosted 2 Italian brothers, Marco and Paolo Boarolo as foreign exchange students, each for a year attending Watsonville High School where Jack taught.

Their time together led to many visits to Italy. Jack and Roberta developed a deep bond and treasured friendship over the years with the Boarolo family.

A thoughtful, kind and soft- spoken man, Jack will be missed by his family, friends and colleagues.

Jack is survived by his loving wife Roberta Armenta, his sister Bonnie Lou Lavender, his brother-in-law Jose Gabriel Armenta, and many nieces and nephews.

And Marco Boarolo and Paolo Boarolo and their familes.

Jack was interred at the Hermosa Cemetery Memorial Wall in Colton, CA on March 9, 2022.

Published in The Pajaronian · March 31, 2022