Kathleen T. Tripp

Without a doubt, Kathleen Tripp was taken from us way too soon and completely unexpectedly on June 26th, 2024, at the young age of 73. With her passing though she is gloriously reunited with her beloved husband John Tripp from whom she has been separated for almost seven years and missed dearly. Her beloved parents Wilbur and Agnes Tillson as well as siblings Bill Tillson, Joan Lynn and Patricia Leone are also there to welcome her with open arms. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that knew them that they are all sitting around the table enjoying a wonderful meal and smiling down on those of us still residing on this beautiful Earth. Among those left behind are her son Jonathan Tripp, her daughter-in-law Maiko Ezawa and her beloved granddaughter Aya Tripp. Kathleen was also a dedicated and loving aunt to numerous nieces and nephews namely, Beth Vitello, Cheryl Niestemski, Craig Lynn, David Lynn, Glenn Niestemski, Jeff Lynn (decd), Kathryn-Mary Basham, Randy Lynn, and Sue Tillson. Kathleen also leaves behind cousins and great, great-great, as well as great-great-great nieces and nephews all of whom already miss her terribly and are slowly realizing what a void has been left behind in their lives. While family was incredibly important to Kathleen, friends were near and dear to her heart as well with too many to mention not only across the country, but across the globe all of whom will miss her and the smiles and laughs that she inevitably was responsible for. 

Kathleen embodied a life fully lived and it all started in Stratford, Connecticut in 1950 where she was the youngest daughter raised in a loving New England household. Early life was carefree and revolved around summers spent loving the beach and the Long Island Sound. She graduated from Stratford High School in 1968 but had big plans and dedicated herself to becoming a teacher by attending college in New York state. With teaching credentials in hand, she returned to Connecticut where she had difficulty finding employment because in the early seventies one way to avoid being drafted into the military services was to be a teacher. This resulted in primary school teaching positions being few and far between. Ever resourceful, Kathleen took a job with a publishing company where she traveled the country selling educational books. With the Vietnam war ending and her desire to teach she returned to Connecticut once again and settled in the Storrs area. Here serendipity intervened, and she met a young physics professor at UCONN who ended up being the love of her life. Due to unforeseen circumstances he had to move to Cleveland, Ohio and Kathleen not to be outdone took this as an opportunity to accept a Commission of the Arts Grant and moved to Boulder Colorado where she studied the impact of nationalized education programs within Native American schools. It is true what they say though, absence does make the heart grow fonder and so Kathleen moved to Cleveland to be together with her beloved. Not long after that they married, and the newly weds were looking for a place to call home which is how the wonderful Squire Valleevue Farm chapter of her life started. This 500 acre farm was donated by Mr. Squire to Case Western Reserve University for the sole purpose of fostering the education of women and student recreation. Given the farm’s intent and Kathleen’s love for education, it was as though it was meant to be and so she moved into a vacant eleven room farmhouse on the property with absolutely no furniture to furnish it with. To this day the farm is a magical place that she visited frequently, with beautiful expansive views of Ohio countryside and completely serene surroundings. It is here that she had a son and continued her love of teaching by running the educational programs at Christ Episcopal Church in Shaker Heights. 

Always up for an adventure, in 1985 Kathleen moved with her young family to The Netherlands where she lived for the next seventeen years first in the medieval town of Ijsselstein and later on Bilthoven. She continued to be a passionate teacher in various international schools and also developed a love for singing in church choirs. Living in The Netherlands undoubtedly resulted in her harboring a deep affection for flowers and gardens which is something that continued to bring her joy even just a few days before her passing. Living in Europe gave Kathleen so much joy and allowed her to do so many things that she enjoyed such as travelling to different countries, experiencing the wonderful food the World has to offer, while also taking in all the beautiful art and architecture that was readily at hand everywhere she looked. She particularly enjoyed loading up the family Volvo with camping gear and heading to the French coast for summer vacations. Kathleen’s desire to come home and be closer to her dear friends and family brought her back Stateside in 2002 where she settled in Cleveland Heights, Ohio and quickly became involved in the Village Garden Club, Trinity Cathedral, teaching at Hawken School and last but certainly not least creating a beautiful home and garden where all were always welcome and frequently gathered. She lived a full life on Exeter Road with only one major detour which was the loss of her life partner in 2017 that impacted her tremendously. In time she courageously regained her footing and faced life head on with the same vigor embracing everything that came her way including a newfound home at St Paul’s Episcopal Church and all things flowers and garden there. During this time, she enjoyed trips back to Europe, California, Connecticut, Texas and Puerto Rico while also forming new friendships, loving the Cleveland symphony and the many other local arts offerings. Probably one of the hardest things to comprehend though is that she was clearly not done with life and was looking forward to a future filled with exciting adventures involving travel, food, family, friends and of course wine when life had something entirely different in store for her. 

Kathleen would want to be remembered as someone that lived life to the fullest and loved unconditionally not only her family, but also her friends and of course all of the hundreds of children who’s lives she touched over the years through her teaching each and every one of which she adored! 

As we come to terms with Kathleen having passed, it is important to know that she did not suffer and was surrounded by people that loved and cared for her until the very end. When we think about the circularity of life, Kathleen’s life came full circle just a few weeks prior when her true love’s ashes were spread on her beloved Squire Valleevue Farm. It is impossible not to see the beauty and the spirituality of this coincidence and that it marked her time to go to be reunited with those that she loved and those that loved her so much. Kathleen, Mom, Grandma, Aunt Kathy, Kathy: you taught us all so much and left us all with wonderful memories that we will cherish forever. We will all miss you tremendously and there is no filling the hole you leave in our hearts, but we take tremendous comfort in the fact that you are at peace and left no stone unturned in your time on Earth. 

For a beautiful rendition of the story of her life in her own words please cherish this interview: 

https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/crohc000/1236/ 

The family prefers that those who wish may make contributions in her name to The Children’s Defense Fund, 25 E. Street, N.W., Washington DC. Funeral Services will be held Saturday, August 10th at 10am in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2747 Fairmount Blvd., Cleveland Hts., OH 44106. The service is being livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/live/bDwe8dkgr_0.  FRIENDS MAY CALL AT BROWN-FORWARD, 17022 CHAGRIN BLVD., SHAKER HTS., OH FRIDAY, AUGUST 9TH.