Robert "Rip" Radcliffe, 87, of Stevens Point and formerly of Edgerton, WI, passed away peacefully Jan. 9, 2015 at the House of the Dove hospice in Marshfield, WI, following a stroke suffered Dec. 19. Rip had lived with his daughter, Liz, in Stevens Point for the past year. Rip was born in Milwaukee, WI, on Sept. 6, 1927. His parents were the late Porter and Irene Radcliffe of West Allis, WI. He was united in marriage to Jean A. Olson on October 22, 1949, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Madison. They were married in a candlelight ceremony after Rip played football earlier that day for the Wisconsin Badgers against Ohio State. Rip was an all-state high school football player for West Allis Central. He played in the first ever Wisconsin state high school all-star football game at Camp Randall Stadium in August 1946. He came home on a three-day pass from the army (stationed in Fort McClellan, Alabama) in order to play. Rip attended the UW Madison and played for the Badgers-- fullback on offense and linebacker on defense—from 1948-1950, lettering all three years. Playing against Navy in 1949 he set a record, which still stands, for returning two interceptions for touchdowns in a single game. He was voted most valuable player in 1950. His college career was capped off playing in the North-South Shrine All-Star football game at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. Rip was drafted by the Pittsburg Steelers in 1951, but chose instead to go into farming. He and Jean took over her parents' 120 acre dairy and tobacco farm outside of Edgerton and began a life together there, farming and raising three children, from 1951-1963. They then moved to Monona in 1963 and Rip returned to the UW to complete his degree in Art Education. He later became Assistant to the Chairman of the UW Art Department in 1967, retiring in 1985. Rip was a man of many talents. He designed and built an A-frame cottage on Lake Columbus just outside of Sugar Camp, WI, in 1971. He also designed his bi-centennial dream home in Cooksville, WI, where he and Jean lived from 1976-1986. Rip found a new passion to keep him occupied in his golden years: wood carving. His choice of wood was butternut, and he started out by carving unique caricatures. His talent expanded into the carving of beautiful three-dimensional wildlife figures from carefully selected pieces of wood. Several of his carvings each consumed more than 200 hours of his time, which drew raves from family members and close friends. He was featured in an article in 2003 in the Capital Times which centered on his football and wood carving talents. Rip was a very loving and devoted husband to his wife, Jean, and cared for her for many years when she became ill. He was also a proud and loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, willing to support his family in any way he could. He was dearly loved by his family and good friends, known for his warm quiet nature, patience, and good sense of humor. Rip was a good listener and always a true gentleman. He was very humble of his athletic and artistic achievements. He will be sadly missed by his family and friends. Rip is survived by his three children, Greg (Susan) Radcliffe of Monona, Elizabeth Spranger (William Mawbey) of Stevens Point, and Paul (Laura) Radcliffe of Frisco, Texas; five grandchildren, Kristin (Mathew) Koehler of Oshkosh, David Spranger of Stevens Point, Katie Radcliffe of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Tyler and Ryan Radcliffe of Frisco, Texas; one great-grandchild, Lexi Koehler of Oshkosh. He was preceded in death by his wife, Jean, and brother, James Radcliffe, of Hales Corners, Wisconsin. A celebration of life will be held for Rip on Saturday, March 14, 2015, in Monona, WI at the Boubon Street Grille from 1 - 5 pm. Friends and family are welcome. Rembs Funeral Home and Crematory of Marshfield is assisting the family. Condolences may be sent online to www.rembsfh.com