Dr. Paul H. Ribbe was born April 2, 1935, in Bristol, Connecticut to Rev. Walter and Grace Ribbe. He went to be with the Lord on June 24, 2017.
He was preceded in death by his wife of almost 59 years, Elna Ribbe, on May 1, 2017. He is survived by his brother, Dr. Robert Ribbe and his wife June, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; his brother John Ribbe and his wife Sylvia, of Hudson, Florida; his son, Dr. David Ribbe and his wife Janelle, of Blacksburg, Virginia; his daughter, Julianne MacKinney and her husband John, of University Park, Maryland; and his daughter, Cheryl Porter and her husband Jacob, of Richmond, Virginia. He had nine grandchildren, Aislynn Locklear, Nathanael Ribbe, Karelyn Heft, Gwendolyn Woodard, Jonathan Ribbe, Seth MacKinney, Elena Porter, Christopher Ribbe, and Anderson Porter, all of whom he loved. He had six great-grandsons and was excited about the first great-granddaughter arriving in November.
Paul obtained his B.S. from Wheaton College (IL) and his M.S. from the University of Wisconsin, both in geology. He was the first American Fulbright Scholar accepted to Cambridge University in Britain, where he completed a Ph.D. in crystallography from Magdelene College in 1963.
In 1966, Paul and Elna moved to Blacksburg, where he became a professor in the Department of Geology at Virginia Tech. Dr. Ribbe was credited with discovering and describing the molecular basis for iridescence in nature such as in opals and butterfly wings. He received many honors and awards throughout his career. Paul served as president of Mineralogical Society of America from 1986 to 1987, was awarded the Distinguished Public Service Medal by MSA in 1993, and received the Schlumberger Award from the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland. He was editor for 57 volumes of Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, a book series covering a multitude of topics in mineralogy, petrology, and geochemistry.
He was referred to as “godfather of the feldspar mafia” and had a mineral named in his honor – a pink feldspar called Ribbeite, first discovered in Namibia. But his most important work had more eternal significance, as he and Elna were one of five couples founding Blacksburg Christian Fellowship in 1969.
His enduring influence extends to the hundreds of students he taught and the people he counseled and mentored in their walk with Christ.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 15, 2 p.m. at Blacksburg Christian Fellowship, 2300 N. Main St., Blacksburg. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to BCF (designate to General, Missions, or Fellowship Fund), P.O. Box 813, Blacksburg, VA 24063. Arrangements by McCoy Funeral Home, Blacksburg.
