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Senators assist colleague amidst family loss

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — In the midst of the final week of session, the political plans for one senator had to take a temporary and sporadic backseat as his family faces a sudden, tragic loss.

Sen. Scott Rupp, R-St. Charles
Sen. Scott Rupp, R-St. Charles

Sen. Scott Rupp, R-St. Charles, said during this past weekend, his brother-in-law, 38, passed away in his sleep of still-unknown causes.

“His wife woke up in the morning and found him dead next to the bed,” Rupp said, noting it will be a while before the autopsy reports show the exact cause of death. “It was a complete shock.”

Rupp said his wife’s brother had six children.

“We spend the weekend watching a father and mother lose their son, my wife losing her only brother and their six kids losing their father,” he said. The six children stayed with Rupp and his wife all weekend, as he said their children are all similar ages.

After spending the weekend with family, Rupp was absent for Monday’s session in order to plan the funeral, he said.

Back Tuesday for an evening vote on one of his main projects, Senate Bill 1 — the worker’s compensation and Second Injury Fund bill — Rupp said he’s grateful for the help he’s received from his fellow senators.

“All of the senators have been so great,” he said. “We passed [SB] 510 just this morning — [Sen. Scott] Sifton did that for me.”

Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, who is close friends with Rupp, said he intends to support him any way he can during the next few days while he’s out. Rupp will be absent from Wednesday and Thursday for the visitation and funeral.

Schmitt said the way other senators have worked to help support Rupp and his bills is “emblematic of the way the Senate operates and should operate.”

“We don’t split by party — that’s not how we’re divided up here,” Schmitt said. “When people go through incidents like this, we’re all there for that person.”

Scott Zajac, senior managing director for Advantage Capital, said he’s so grateful for all that Rupp and his wife have done for the autism community and he’s keeping their family in his thoughts and prayers.

Rupp said the visitation for his brother-in-law, Aaron, will be held from 3-8 p.m. tomorrow at Pitman Funeral Home in Wentzville. The funeral will  be 2 p.m. Thursday.

Instead of flowers, the family has asked for donations for Life Skills Touchpoint Autism Services or the St. Louis Crisis Nursery.

To contact Ashley Jost, email ashley@themissouritimes.com, or via Twitter at @ajost.