Obituary of Colleen Ripley

Colleen Alice Ripley April 29, 1937, to November 7, 2023 Colleen Alice (Brady) Ripley, 86, Shelton Washington, beloved Mother, Sweetheart, Grandmother, Aunt, and friend, passed away on November 7, 2023, at Providence St. Peters Hospital in Olympia, Washington. Colleen was born at home on the family farm in Hoquiam, Washington, in Grays Harbor County on April 29, 1937, to Ralph and Marjorie Brady. She loved to tell people she was so little at birth that her parents put her in a shoe box. Colleen was the youngest of 4 children and preceded in death by both parents, Ralph and Marjorie, and her siblings, Ralph Jr., Delores, and Maurice. Colleen attended high school in Grays Harbor County in the early 1950s and graduated from Hoquiam Highschool in 1955. At the age of 19, she began working at ITT Rayonier Pulp & Paper Company’s Research Lab in Shelton, Washington, and remained there until retirement. She started as a teletype operator, working her way up to Lead Secretary position for the Lab’s team of chemists. Being a part of the ITT Rayonier family gave her a great sense of pride, joy, and fulfillment. Colleen loved music and was an accomplished piano player and singer, playing and singing in her church choir in the 1970s through 90s, and was a member of the Olympia Chorus Sweet Adelines in Olympia Washington. She was also an incredible seamstress and designed and created many of the costumery that the Sweet Adelines wore for national competitions and their many shows and performances. After her retirement from ITT Rayonier, Colleen wanted to give back to the Shelton, Washington community, the town she loved and cherished. She started volunteering for the Mason General Hospital Foundation Auxiliary Gift Shop in the 1990s and stayed until the forced shut-down during the pandemic. She absolutely loved her time in the Auxiliary Gift Shop and thrived on the joy she could bring to others with a smile on her face and with witticism that would leave you in tears from laughter. Colleen is survived by her sweetheart, David, and her cherished children; Bonnie and husband Eric, Kathie and husband Patrick, Scott and wife Michelle, and Shellie, and by her grandchildren; Sarah, Nikolaas, Nathan and wife Bianca, Casey, Cody, Michaela, Madison, Sierra, McKenna, Vanessa, Chase and wife Amanda. She was preceded in death by her great-grand son, Chaise, and survived by her great-grandchildren; Ka’Lani and husband Dalton, Koen, Austin, Angelina, Alaina, Estavan, Gi’Ancarlo, Iliza, Ryker, Henley, Cael, Kamdyn, Asher, and Amara. Colleen is also survived by her first great-great granddaughter, Mazikeen. She is survived by her beloved nieces and nephews; Karen, Cindy, Terry and wife Cindy, Barb, Vickie and husband Mike, and Rick and wife Donna. She is also survived by many grand nieces and nephews and great-grand nieces and nephews, to whom she loved dearly. Colleen is survived by innumerable friends and chosen family that she made along the way. We want to honor them all as we announce her passing. She cherished each and every one of you and we know that she was cherished in return by all. We invite you to please visit our online Memorial page for Colleen Ripley, where you may leave your condolences, upload photos, plant a tree in her name, or simply visit to help heal your own heart. https://mccombwagner.com/tribute/details/5199/Colleen-Ripley/obituary.html#tribute-start Mason General Hospital has created a Memorial Fund in her name. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you please consider donating to Colleen’s favorite scholarship fund for students entering nursing or other medical professions. https://www.masonhealth.com/foundation/mason-general-hospital-auxiliary This is no easy goodbye–but she had a poem left out for us to find and we would like to share that with you here. ♥ “Afterglow” “I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one. I’d like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done. I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways, of happy times and laughing times and bright and sunny days. I’d like the tears of those who grieve, to dry before the sun; of happy memories that I leave when my life is finally done.” ~Helen Lowrie Marshall