Eleanor Lucretia Rippon, born Eleanor Gardner on March 7, 1920, passed away on January 24, 2008, in Tacoma, Washington. Eleanor was the fourth of five children born to Frederick and Pearl Williams Gardner, after John, Marjorie, and Virginia (Freddie). Another daughter, Carol, was born after Eleanor. The younger two girls were born in hospitals, unlike their older siblings.

Fred and Pearl met in North Dakota as employees of Northern Pacific. She, an Episcopalian, came from Canada, he, a Methodist, from Iowa. They married in North Dakota, and by their arrival in Tacoma had three children. Fred secured a position with the Tacoma Police Department, rising to the rank of Captain, and spent these years working with troubled youth. Eleanor enjoyed life in the Oakland area of Tacoma. The five children developed lifelong friendships there. They attended Oakland Presbyterian Church, where Fred was an elder and Pearl taught Sunday school. At a Christian Endeavor youth rally in Gig Harbor, Eleanor first remembered making a public commitment to Christ. She said this "sealed her belief in Him for life."

Eleanor attended four schools – Oakland Grade School, Jason Lee Intermediate School, Stadium High School, and Pacific Lutheran College (now University. She played piano for the Stadium High orchestra. In 1941 she earned her teaching certificate at PLC. Eleanor wrote that most of her male classmates had very brief careers before entering military service. "Many of my friends at Stadium and PLC never came back, killed in the terrible fighting with Japan and Germany." After college, Eleanor taught school in White Salmon, Washington, living with cousin and close friend Marian Good. She wrote that Marian "nurtured, advised, fed, and made a home for her during 1941-1942.

In 1940, the love of Eleanor's life, Stan Rippon, entered her life. Her sister, Virginia (Freddie), had arranged to go to the Puyallup Fair with a foursome that included Virginia and Stan. However, Freddie's plans were irrevocably changed when the furnace in their Oakland home decided to explode as she was getting ready to leave for the fair. At the same time, Stan arrived at their home, as did Eleanor, separately. Seeing the smoke and soot streaming from the home, and the now-gray color of their formerly white cat, Eleanor made an executive decision to avoid going inside, instead joining those in the fair-bound group who were still clean. That evening Eleanor said she knew Stan was the man she wanted to marry, which she did on On August 9, 1942. The back yard of Fred and Pearl's Oakland home was never more beautiful with flowers and décor provided by them and by Stan's parents, Frank and Elsie Rippon, and music provided by violinist Virginia and several friends. Eleanor and Stan enjoyed a honeymoon on beautiful Rosario Beach in the San Juan Islands.

Stan then entered the army, landing in Alaska with Alaska Communications Systems. Being thus occupied did not prevent the arrival of daughter Alice (Macy Hartley), in September of 1943. When Stan returned from service, Alice was followed by Jeanne (Sagle) in 1946, George in 1950, Dorothy (Marr) in 1952, and Margaret in 1956, who were all born while Stan served ACS in Seattle.

Eleanor's life in Seattle included care and feeding of five children, a busy husband, a large home and various pets; maintaining the family's school and extracurricular pursuits, church and community work, and extended family activities. In 1955, for her success in all of this, Eleanor was voted "Mother of the Year" by the Seattle Gold Star Mothers. This was a "title I could live without," she said, because "well-meaning people would ask me questions about motherhood . . . . that I didn't feel comfortable answering at all." Stan and Eleanor and the children attended and served Brighton Presbyterian Church throughout their years in Seattle.

In 1958, Alaska Communication Systems was being relocated, and Stan was given a challenging position at "The Rock," near Camp David, Maryland. The family of seven packed up and drove in an old Chevrolet station wagon to their new home near Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, nestled at the foot of the beautiful blue ridge mountains. Here, they immersed themselves once again in serving their new church--Waynesboro Presbyterian. Eleanor also tutored students, was involved in the churches music ministry and women's groups. The biggest event was the advent of a sixth child, second son Bill! During this time Alice and Jeanne graduated high school and went on to college. The Rippon clan was in Waynesboro seven years when the government moved Stan once again to an even more challenging job in Washington, D.C. Once there, George and Dorothy finished high school and went on to college.

Stan's work sent him to Vienna to work with the government on the SALT talks, so Eleanor went with him and reveled in the architecture and historical significance of this old European city. Also during this time, Alice provided them with grandchildren for the first time. Jeanne married Brint, George married Donna, and Dorothy married Ed.

Stan retired at age 55 and the family – now including just Eleanor, Stan, Margi, and Bill, returned to Gig Harbor, Washington, where they dove into life – Bill in high school, Margi at Seattle Pacific University, Stan and Eleanor serving at Chapel Hill Presbyterian Church. Eleanor played the organ there, as she had done elsewhere. Her music and involvement with the American Guild of Organists always gave her great satisfaction. After a few years in the Minter area, they built their Lakebay home overlooking Henderson Bay, and enjoyed the view and rural environment for 15 years. Eleanor enhanced the yard, as always, with beautiful flower gardens that she lovingly tended. One by one, the entire family returned to the Northwest. The beach home became a happy gathering place for a much-expanded family from 1977 to 1992. In 1978 Margi married Dave, and soon afterward, Bill married Barbi.

Retirement held new adventures – travel around the U.S. and Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico, and Great Britain. There was also V.I.M. work – "Volunteers in Mission", where Eleanor and Stan would use their gifts and skills to serve in a particular mission field. Eleanor inevitably worked one-on-one with people who needed to be tutored, or used her musical abilities.

Son George had for years dreamed of one day living in the Lakebay home when Eleanor and Stan no longer lived there, following his military service. Eleanor and Stan did move back to Tacoma in 1992, and since George was otherwise occupied in the Air Force, Alice and her family assumed ownership, selling to George in 1996 when he was free to locate there. The home Eleanor and Stan built retains an important place in the Rippon family today.

After moving to Tacoma, Stan and Eleanor continued church activities and again cultivated friendships with neighbors. Eleanor played the organ at Trinity Presbyterian and served in a community ministry there. After a few years, a place opened up for them at the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community. Eleanor loved her fourth floor apartment overlooking the drive so she could watch people coming and going, and off in the distance a magnificent view of Mt. Rainier.

Family and church continued to be at the center of life for Eleanor. Her grandchildren loved her and visited often. She retained a genuine interest and concern for each and every one. Each morning, she and Stan would have devotions together, and prayed for one of their children's families each day. They attended Skyline Presbyterian with daughter Jeanne and son-in-law Brint. Finally, health concerns for both Stan and Eleanor led to moves first to assisted living, and then, to the health center at the Tacoma Lutheran Retirement Community. When Stan passed away in September of 2006, Eleanor continued to show her loving spirit, remained interested in all who she met, and seemed to be coping well. Until her passing, she remained a positive and encouraging person that it was a delight to know.

She is survived by her six children and their spouses, sixteen grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Eleanor's favorite Scripture passage was Romans 8:38-39--"For I am persuaded that neither life, nor death, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor anything else in all creation shall separate us from the love of God, which we have in Jesus Christ our Lord."