Mary Jeanne Tripp, 79, of Marquette, MI and Summerfield, FL, passed away on December 4th after suffering a heart attack while playing her favorite sport, pickleball.
Mary was born on November 25, 1944, to Peter and Yvonne Collins of Chassell, MI.
Mary graduated from Chassell High School in 1962 and went on to study at Northern Michigan University. Mary earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Biology in 1967 and earned a Master’s degree plus 30 in Secondary Education
Mary started her 31-year career in education teaching middle school at Big Bay de Noc for 8 years and then went on to teach at Champion, National Mine and Aspen Ridge until she retired in 2000.
In 1963, Mary met John (Jack) Tripp at Northern Michigan University and was instantly attracted to him. They married in 1965 and had two sons, Edward and Stephen (Beaver).
Mary is survived by her husband, Jack, of 58 years. She was a devoted mother to Edward Tripp (wife Robin) of Gaithersburg, MD and Beaver Tripp (wife Tina) of Marquette, MI. She was a loving grandmother to Brenda Engstrom (husband Christian) and Haley Tripp, daughters of Beaver and Tina, Derek Tripp, son of Edward and Robin, as well as her step-grandchildren Hallie, Max and Samantha Goldstein.
Mary is also survived by her siblings, Yvonne (Bonnie) Lencioni (late husband Paul) of White Pine, MI, Anne Stumpf (husband Mark)) of McHenry, IL, Paulette Collins of Houghton, MI, Betsy Moore (husband Greg) of Marquette, MI and predeceased by brother Peter Collins Jr. of Alpena, MI.
Mary was full of life! She was one of a kind and always had a smile on her face. She would give you the shirt off her back! Mary loved her homes on Lake Superior and in Summerfield, FL and kept them up meticulously, inside and out. She spent her time gardening, playing pickleball and master’s tennis. She loved paddle boarding, scouring her beach on her daily walks along Lake Superior for beach glass. Mary was an avid reader and relaxed by playing piano. She enjoyed puzzles, playing board games with her family and hitting the weekend rummage sales! Her favorite show was America’s Got Talent. She also enjoyed concerts, riding motorcycles and cross country skiing. Mary treated her pets like her children, but most of all, Mary lived for her family!
As a devout Catholic, Mary was a member of St. Peter’s Cathedral in Marquette, MI and St. Timothy’s in Lady Lake, FL.
A celebration of life will be held at the Del Webb community in Summerfield on December 9th at 2pm and the family will have a celebration of life in Marquette, MI in August. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Peter’s Cathedral, Trilium House in Marquette or your local animal shelter.
