Colombe Ruth (Beaton) Tripp

Colombe Ruth Tripp

1930 - 2021

Our mother, Colombe Ruth Tripp (nee Beaton), was born April 10, 1930 in the small northern Ontario village of Twin Falls. Twin Falls was the location of the first hydroelectric power plant built on the Abitibi River that supplied power to the pulp and paper mill in Iroquois Falls, Ontario. Mom was the third of seven children born to Howard and Pearl (nee Gamble) Beaton.

At that time Twin Falls was a booming metropolis of fourteen families! A trek to the nearby town of Iroquois Falls included a seven-mile drive, some of which was corduroy road, then a scow-crossing to traverse the fast-flowing Abitibi River. Mom recalls riding to school in the “school rig”, drawn by a team of horses and adventurous river crossings on the scow. In winter months her parents would heat bricks by the wood stove overnight which she and her siblings would use to keep their feet warm on the daily trek to school. She tells the story of when the “rig” went off the road and they all walked the rest of the way to school that day. During that walk they passed a young man walking towards Twin Falls, who Mom recalls “just kept his head down”. That young man was fourteen-year-old Bud Tripp, on his way to Twin Falls for a job on one of the river boats. That young man also later became her husband in 1952. She and Dad were married for sixty-seven years. Dad passed away in November of 2019.

Mom worked as a secretary for the Iroquois Falls high school and later as secretary for the Iroquois Falls elementary school. She was a gifted homemaker, an excellent seamstress, superb knitter, quilter and had a talent for anything artistic or crafty that she endeavoured. Growing up as kids we never knew what shopping at our local Hudson Bay Store was like, since Mom made every article of clothing for us custom fit.

Mom loved the outdoors and in her retirement years enjoyed manicuring her flower beds. She loved berry picking and kept us well supplied all winter long with berries perfectly prepared for the freezer. She enjoyed snowmobiling with Dad, ice fishing and even did some trapping. She was one heck of a good shot with her .22 and enjoyed bird hunting. In 1975, she and Dad left their hometown and ventured to manage a hunting lodge on Griffith Island in Georgian Bay near Owen Sound, Ontario. This experience was most likely the highlight of their working life, they met so many interesting people and spoke fondly of their experiences where Mom ran the lodge and hosted many wild game meals. Following Griffith Island, they moved to White River, Ontario, then to Caledon, Ontario and finally retired on our small family farm in Dundalk, Ontario. As a family we enjoyed twenty-two years in Dundalk where we had a flurry of experiences ranging from Dad flying circuits in his J3 Piper Cub, to Mom ensuring that we were well prepared for our horse show adventures with tail-gate lunches fit for royalty.

By 2010 the farm had sold, and Mom and Dad lived until 2015 at Sandy Cove Acres in Innisfil, Ontario. Mom reflects on this time as some of her happiest years, meeting dear friends and building connections that would last her the rest of her life. In 2015 Mom and Dad moved to Manitoba to be closer to their daughter Darlene and their granddaughter Jenny and her family. It was an amazing experience for Mom and Dad to be close to their great grandchildren, as well as getting to know a new province and new friends and neighbours.

Mom passed away May 6, 2021. She will be lovingly remembered for all that she contributed continually to the ongoings of our family. We are blessed to have shared so many years with our amazing mother. Darlene Tripp-Simms and Deb Tripp

Swan Valley Funeral Services

363 Kelsey Trail, Swan River, Manitoba

204-734-5775  www.swanvalleyfuneralservices.com

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