L. Rauppius, CEO of paper firm, dies

Lawrence Hugh Rauppius had been the top salesman for Virginia Paper Co. for 9½ years when his boss fired him on Nov. 1, 1970.

His boss had heard that Mr. Rauppius was considering buying a competitor, B.W. Wilson Paper Co. Inc., which suffered from poor sales. In fact, Mr. Rauppius had discussed Wilson with co-workers, but that's all he had done -- talked, he said in a 2004 interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

In the clear, he spoke with Wilson's owner, who wanted to sell the business, and Mr. Rauppius decided to purchase it.

Under his leadership, sales tripled within two years. He bought 2 acres in Richmond's West End, where he built a 45,000-square-foot warehouse to accommodate the expanding business.

Mr. Rauppius, CEO and chairman of a business that now operates five branches in Virginia and North Carolina, died Tuesday in a Henrico County hospital.

The 71-year-old businessman and Henrico resident will be remembered at a funeral today, Saturday, at 2 p.m. in the sanctuary of First Baptist Church, Monument Avenue and Boulevard. Burial will be in Greenwood Memorial Gardens in Goochland County.

A pioneer in office automation, B.W. Wilson was the first wholesale paper company in Virginia to become fully computerized, according to a company history.

In 1983, Mr. Rauppius established a new division of computer-related products called Office Tomorrow, now called Information System Supplies. The move raised eyebrows among conservative old-time paper businesses but provided ballast for the company when sales in the paper division occasionally dipped.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease almost 10 years ago, Mr. Rauppius "refused to give in to the disease. He went to the office every day and didn't officially retire," said his son, Lawrence H. Rauppius Jr. of Henrico. "He wanted to live life as fully as possible."

The Astoria, N.Y., native came to Richmond at 13 after his parents divorced and his mother found work in Richmond. He discovered a passion, basketball, at John Marshall High School, where he was on the basketball team that won the 1954 state championship.

He went to the University of Richmond on a basketball scholarship, majored in history and was a member of Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. He later played on the school tennis team before graduating in 1959.

His love of tennis lasted the rest of his life. At the age of 55, he held a No. 1 ranking in the country in seniors doubles play in his age bracket. He was playing tennis and shooting baskets with his son and grandchildren three weeks before his death.

During the 1960s, Mr. Rauppius played softball for the Glidewell Brothers team against some of the nation's best teams, including Eddie "the King of Softball" Feigner's team, The King and His Court.

Survivors include his wife, Gwyneth Garrett Rauppius; three daughters, Beth Lane and Laura McKay, both of Henrico, and Brently Rauppius of Midlothian; and eight grandchildren.