Kenneth E. Van Riper Jr. ’57

We have recently received notice of Ken’s death on Aug. 20, 2020, in Sarasota, Fla.

Son of Kenneth E. Van Riper 1925, he came to Princeton from Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. At Princeton, he was a key member of the soccer and squash teams and sang in the Glee Club. Majoring in philosophy and religion, he took his meals at Colonial Club. Senior year he roomed with John Adams.

After participating in Army ROTC, Ken served as a second lieutenant and then first lieutenant in the Field Artillery and Army Reserve. In 1963, he married Kersti B. Alm of Stockholm, Sweden, whom he met while living in Princeton after graduation. They had two children, Lisa and Kenneth III. Ken had a long career in the insurance industry, obtaining his chartered life underwriter designation while working as an executive at the Life Insurance Management Association, followed by the Farmers and Traders Life Insurance Co. and the Maccabees Mutual Life Insurance Co.

Ken is survived by his second wife, Patricia A. Van Riper; his children, Lisa and Kenneth; stepson Michael J. Misorek; and their families.