David Allen Rapp Obituary (1955 - 2022)

Born Jun 15, 1955, David Allen Rapp attended Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis, IN. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about David Allen Rapp.

Graduation Year	Class of 1974
Date of Birth	Jun 15, 1955
Date of Passing	Dec 09, 2022
About	David A. "Dave" Rapp, nicknamed "Rapper" by his firefighter brothers, passed away on Friday, December 9, 2022, at the age of 67. He was born on June 15, 1955, in Indianapolis, Indiana, to parents, William J. and Nancy (Rose) Rapp. On June 15, 1995, Dave married the love of his life, Julie (Mangold) Rapp. Dave graduated from Lawrence Central High School, Class of 1974. He participated on the track and field team, the wrestling team, and sang in the choir. He enjoyed music so much he sang and played guitar in his own band. He continued his education at Ivy Tech Community College, graduating with an AAS in Fire Science. Dave joined the City of Lawrence Fire Dept. (CLFD) as a volunteer firefighter after high school graduation, which started his adventurous career. In 1979, he started working for Pike Township Fire Dept. and earned the rank of Lieutenant before returning to CLFD in 1986. At CLFD, Dave became an EMT, Rope Technician, Rescue Diver and Auto Extrication expert. He served as Training Director and Tactical Operations/Rescue Director before earning the rank of Battalion Chief. Upon retiring from CLFD in 1999, he continued working as a Training & Safety Officer for Noblesville Fire Dept. then Westfield Fire Dept. He trained countless firefighters across Indiana and some outside of his home state. During days off between firehouse shifts, Dave taught fire science courses at Ivy Tech Community College for 10 years, worked at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on the Fire Crew for 20 years, and owned/operated Rapp Automotive and Rapp's Snow Removal until 2017. Not one to sit still, Dave was currently working at Carvana. He loved test driving those fast cars. So it will come as no surprise that Dave loved cars, motorcycles and drag racing. In the 1980's, he raced motorcycles and once made it to the Nationals in Bristol, Tennessee, where he placed 12th. Around 2005, he started racing motorcycles again at Muncie Dragway. He switched to racing cars and continued racing until 2021. Dave also loved water sports. We had a boat and took our family to the lake almost every weekend during the warm weather months when the kids were becoming teenagers. Tubing by far was the favorite shared activity. Dave was awarded Firefighter of the Year, 1988, and was inducted into the Firefighter Hall of Fame in 1990. Dave is survived by his loving wife, Julie; parents, William (Mourlyn) Rapp and Nancy Rapp; children, Dustin (Kristin) Rapp, Chelsey (Cameron) Neisler; stepsons, Aarik Williams, Aramis Williams; brother, Jeff (Tammy) Rapp; sister-in-law, Nancy Komenda Rapp; grandchildren, Isabel Rapp, Davis Rapp and Brayden Neisler, along with many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his twin brother, Mark W. Rapp, and his sister, Suzy Hunter. Visitation for Dave will be 5pm-8pm on Wednesday, December 14, 2022, at the Community Life Center at Washington Park East Cemetery – 10612 E. Washington Street, Indianapolis, Indiana 46229. An additional visitation will be held from 11am-12pm on Thursday, December 15, 2022, with a funeral service immediately following at 12pm.