Carl F. Rumpp Jr., retired fourth-generation president of C.F. Rumpp & Sons, has died at 92
He was also a successful sales representative and former commodore of the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City. “He leaves behind a rich legacy as the loving patriarch of his historic Philadelphia family,” his family said.
Carl F. Rumpp Jr., 92, of Gladwyne, retired fourth-generation president of C.F. Rumpp & Sons, longtime national sales representative, and former commodore of the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City, died Friday, Feb. 2, of pneumonia at his home.
Mr. Rumpp grew up in Germantown, graduated from William Penn Charter School, and served as president of his family’s fine leather goods company after his father stepped down in the early 1960s. C.F. Rumpp & Sons manufactured, imported, and exported purses, wallets, other leather goods, and many other items from locations on North Fourth Street in Philadelphia and later at Fifth and Cherry Streets.
John Wanamaker and other retailers sold Rumpp products around the country, and the company had offices in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. C.F. Rumpp & Sons celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1950. The family sold the company in 1964.
After that, Mr. Rumpp used his business experience and natural people skills to attract employers and impress clients as a regional and national sales representative for several companies. He traveled the world with Rumpp & Sons in the 1950s, and the nation later with other firms. Often, he sent cassette tape audio accounts of his journeys and adventures to his sons.
“He was a people person, a relationship builder,” said his son Stephen. “He had an incredible sense of humor and a vigor for life.”
Mr. Rumpp connected with people through compassion and resourcefulness. He sold products for Pico Manufacturing and other firms, and seemed to know instinctively what both sellers and buyers needed to seal a deal.
“He loved his work because it meant meeting and interacting with people, both new and familiar, and helping resolve their challenges,” his family said in a tribute. “He was defined by a rare signature ability to see the world through the eyes of others.” He retired in the early 2000s.
A longtime member of the Yacht Club of Sea Isle City, Mr. Rumpp served as commodore in 1962, following his father again, who was a founding member of the yacht club and commodore in 1942. Mr. Rumpp won numerous racing trophies and runner-up banners in his Comet class sailboat, Wiki Wiki, and showed leadership as commodore after a storm devastated the town in 1962.
The Inquirer wrote about his racing success often in the 1950s and ‘60s and called him an “ace Sea Isle skipper” in a 1958 story about the 20th annual Sea Isle Regatta. He celebrated his 92nd birthday in 2023 at the yacht club and received a rousing standing ovation when he was introduced.
“Carl was a leader by example,” his family said. “People always remembered meeting him.”
Carl Frederick Rumpp Jr. was born in Philadelphia on Oct. 4, 1931. He was in the debate club and played soccer, basketball, and baseball at Penn Charter.
He was a goalie and team captain on the soccer team at Washington and Lee University in Virginia, and earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. He spent two years in the Army after college, much of it in Hawaii, and trained as a forward observer in an artillery battalion.
He married Peggy Scott, and they had sons Carl III, Stephen, and Gary. They divorced later. He met Patricia Barrett in California through his brother, and they had a romantic long-distance relationship for two years before marrying in 1986.
Mr. Rumpp liked to surf fish for bluefish, and he and his three sons made a perfect foursome on the golf course. The men created their own Rumpp Classic golf tournament and competed for a trophy and green jacket just like the Masters Tournament.
He won a doubles tennis tournament while serving in the Army and was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. He was close to his nieces and nephews, and his sons called him their best friend and role model.
He encouraged his entire family in all their pursuits, and they praised his “innate respect for others.” He and his wife made memorable visits to Hawaii and elsewhere, and he and her parents, Hank and Vi, developed a deep and loving bond.
His son Gary said: “He was caring, giving, and had an amazing sense of humor. He was kind to a fault and one of the most loving people I have ever encountered in my life.”
His wife said: “He was the one I loved to love.”
In addition to his wife, sons, and former wife, Mr. Rumpp is survived by eight grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and other relatives. A sister and brother died earlier.
Services are to be at 11 a.m., Friday, May 31, at the Chapel of Peace, Laurel Hill West, 215 Belmont Ave., Bala Cynwyd, Pa. 19004.
Donations in his name may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, Box 758516, Topeka, Kan. 66675; and the Maui Strong Fund, 827 Fort Street Mall, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.