Donald Wayne Tripp, August 6, 1944 – November 28, 2007

Since many of you follow our (Paul and my) blogs, you know that my Father has been terribly ill this year… On Wednesday, November 28, 2007, my Father passed away. Paul and I were by his side when he went peacefully and for this – and all of the time we had together, even recently – I am forever thankful. He was a fantastic Father who taught me many things – the best of which are to be adventurous and always have fun. Enjoy every moment.
 
Here is the full text of my Father’s obituary with various versions running in a few local papers. 


Donald Wayne Tripp
Donald Wayne Tripp was born on August 6, 1944 in Fort Madison, Iowa. After fighting a long and courageous battle with cancer, Don passed away peacefully on November 28, 2007 at home in Redmond, Washington, with his daughter and son-in-law by his side.
 
Don is survived by his daughter, Kimberly L. Tripp; his son-in-law, Paul S. Randal; his grandchildren Kiera and Katelyn Randal; his Mother, Doris McDonnell; his brothers Jon McDonnell and Wayne Tripp; his sisters Linda Fussell and Bonnie Bostick; his brother-in-law, Ted Fussell; his sister-in-law Valerie Tripp; his nephew and many nieces; and his wife of 22 years, Ursula Tripp. He will be greatly missed by these and many other relatives and friends.
 
Don was very charismatic, always quick to lighten the mood with his humor – lately he’d say that “I’m in great shape – besides a little cancer”. He was an avid sailor and loved nothing more than being on the water – especially Lake Michigan – where he first sailed “Flutterby”, an 18 foot SolCat, and then a variety of sail-boats (and ice-boats in WI) over many years. When not on the water somehow, he loved his local haunts and enjoyed an occasional Meyers-and-tonic with friends.
 
By far his greatest pleasure was introducing friends, family, and even acquaintances to sailing – especially as a Regional Sales Manager for Hunter Yachts – which he gladly took on as his second career after working for Moore Business Forms for almost 30 years. For Moore he received numerous “Achievement Awards” in Sales but he was most rewarded by sales that lead people to the boat of their dreams. He was a graduate of the University of Iowa in 1968, a member of the Army and Air Force Reserves for six years and took his first sky dive in 1962, the year he graduated from Fort Madison High School. He loved adventure and had it not been for a hurricane that washed ashore his 40-foot trimaran in 1978, he would have raced in the (London) Observer’s Singlehanded Trans-Atlantic Race in 1980.
 
Over the past few months, Don greatly enjoyed bird watching from the deck of our house. He especially enjoyed torturing the squirrels by spraying “Pam” on the poles of the many bird feeders. Don’t worry; it didn’t really stop them from getting the food – but it did provide for many hours of entertainment as they slid down the pole after lunch or on their way to having lunch.
 
A “Celebration of Life” Memorial Reception is being planned for Memorial Day weekend. Please send email to
KimberlyLTripp@hotmail.com for more information.
 
In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to a Cancer charity of your choosing. For example, consider donating to the Cancer Research Foundation at
http://www.cancerresearchfdn.org/donate/.

I’ve created a simple webpage with a few memories and photos – remembering the times we’ve all had with Don/Dad – as a Father, brother, son and most importantly – a friend. You can access this page here: https://www.sqlskills.com/DonaldWayneTrippMemorialPage.htm (and it might take a few seconds/minutes to download).

 

Thanks so much for all of your amazing support this year – through both the good times and the not-so-good. 


We wish you all peace and comfort as well as the warmest of wishes for you and your families this holiday season,

Kimberly & Paul

7 thoughts on “Donald Wayne Tripp, August 6, 1944 – November 28, 2007

  1. Hi Kimberly and Paul,

    I’m sorry to hear about your father passing away. I wish you the strength to recover from this loss. I hope that you have people by your side to comfort you when you need comfort, to patiently listen to you when you need to talk, and to laugh and have fun with you when you need distraction.

    Best, Hugo

  2. Kim and Paul,

    Thanks for sharing your Dad with us. The pictures were also nice to see.

    To everything there is season . . .

  3. Hi Kimberly and Paul

    My heartfelt condolences to you and your family. Let God give the strength to recover from this loss. Loss of Dad is big thing and I know how one feels.

    Regards

    Meher

  4. Dear Kim and Paul..

    I’m so, so sorry to hear of your loss. My condolences to you and your family.

    Thanks for sharing the photographs of your good memories.. I hope they bring you some solace in the days and years ahead.

    For what it’s worth, your Dad and I share a birthday.. we’ll make a special mention at the next remembrance.

    All the best to you..

    -Ward

  5. I’m so sorry to hear about your Dad. My thoughts and prayers are with you. It’s great that you got to be there with him at the end, though. He sounds like a wonderful man and I’m sure he’ll be missed tremendously. Thank you for sharing your memories with us.

    Take care,
    Robert

  6. Please accept my condolences. I am very sorry to hear about your father’s passing. My prayers are with you and your family in this time of grieving.

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