Ellen Tripp

Ellen Thea (Bohmer) Tripp, 83, of Sharpsburg, Maryland, formerly from California, passed from this life on Sunday, June 2, 2013.

She was born on January 26, 1931, to German immigrant parents, the late Jacob and Kathe (Metzler) Bohmer, in a row house in the German quarter of Brooklyn, New York. She grew up bilingual in a bustling melting pot of different languages and cultures, which provided her with a wealth of colorful stories that she loved sharing throughout her life.

When she was 9 years old, she finally got a sibling, a baby brother named Randolph Rudolf, soon known as Ronnie. She loved her little brother and “mothering” him, developing her excellent nurturing skills.

She attended the German Brooklyn Seventh-day Adventist Church and graduated at age 16 from Greater New York Academy. She also attended La Sierra University and Emanuel Missionary College.

When she was a teenager her parents moved out of Brooklyn and bought an Esso gas station along the Black Horse Pike, a main highway leading into Atlantic City, New Jersey. There her father, Jacob, committed to keeping the Sabbath and closing the gas station from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. His gas supplier predicted imminent financial ruin based on that decision, but the station became one of the most profitable ones on the Pike. Ellen became competent at pumping gas, washing windshields, and checking oil for the customers in her overalls and dew-rag. After church on Sabbaths her hospitable parents would invite visitors and members over for Sabbath lunch, perhaps in hopes that they would linger till sunset, when Jacob would open the gas station and put everyone to work.

Among these visitors was a certain young man with a strong work ethic, which Ellen’s dad recognized immediately. This young man, Lee Tripp, was working for the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey and found himself looking forward to weekends. When he and Ellen went to separate colleges, they became pen pals, which led to dates (often ending in pumping gas at the station!), which led to romance and an engagement. While Lee was timid and soft-spoken, Ellen was fun-loving and talkative.

In August of 1953 Lee and Ellen were married, and this summer would have been their 60th anniversary. Throughout those 60 years they pastored in more than a dozen different churches in Ohio, New Jersey, and California, and have made many lifelong friends along the way. During Lee’s 40 years as a pastor, Ellen found great meaning and fulfillment in supporting his ministry. Her empathy, compassion, intuition, commitment to Christ, and musical talents on the piano and as a choir director made her an invaluable partner. She proved herself able to keep secrets and to not judge, which often placed her in the role of confidante. She loved people, social gatherings (especially if they involved food), and holidays. In the tradition of her parents, there was never a stranger who left church without being invited home for Sabbath lunch. Besides being an excellent cook, her other hobbies included cross-stitch, flower collecting, and music, and she even dabbled in ceramics, painting, and crochet. She was eager to learn new things and reconnected and kept in touch with many friends through Facebook.

She especially cherished time with her family, which included her two daughters, Teri and Lori, and their husbands, Doug and Kim, and her three grandchildren, Sam, Julie, and Reef. She and Lee prioritized spending time with their grandkids and took them camping during their summer vacations, traveling with them to places like British Columbia, Germany, and Italy. They showed them the beauties of God’s nature and taught them an appreciation for the peoples, cultures, and histories of our world. Ellen was a playmate, having special secrets and games with each child, some of which the adults are just learning about. She was also their confidante and always took the time to sit and listen and ask a million questions, showing an interest in their lives and heading their fan clubs. She always believed in their abilities and encouraged them to get a good education and pursue their dreams.

Ellen was a great storyteller and could engage young and old with her description of events, sometimes throwing in quotes in German and bits of wisdom, such as “Eat something of every color at every meal” and “Lassen sie kinder gehen” (or “Let the kids be kids!”).

Ellen had a zest for adventure. She loved to go on Sabbath hikes and drives and especially see new places. The family enjoyed tent camping, then “upgraded” to a trailer, and eventually an RV, which Ellen and Lee used often, traveling to all 50 of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. They also traveled abroad to the Holy Land and Europe, and she especially loved the cruises they took to the Baltic States and the Mediterranean. Planning her next trip and saving her nickels brought her great joy.

Through her life she taught piano lessons, was a kindergarten teacher, served in the insurance department at the old General Conference building in Silver Spring, and worked as an office manager for a lawyer and then a physician’s practice. But for most of her career she was a bookkeeper and was excellent with numbers and finances. Her sharp mind could calculate figures quickly in her head and remember important facts and details. She also loved to save money—for others and herself. She enjoyed nothing more than finding a bargain at a store, and she would often say, “God saved this dress for me!” or “These shoes—just in my size and for this wonderful price—were a gift from God!” She saw Him involved in every aspect of her daily life.

The last few years of her life were challenging, starting with the move from California, a blood clot, two broken hips, surgeries, a brain tumor, radiation, and hospital stays. Yet through it all she maintained her sense of humor, her self-respect, her appetite, and her love for her family (including the dog, Davey). She would frequently reach out and stroke Lee’s hand and tell him what a great husband he was, compliment Lori’s cooking, brighten at Teri’s voice on the phone, ask “Where’s my Reefy?”, and sneak treats to the dog. She was peaceful and comfortable and was able to remain at home, thanks to the support and treatment provided by our dear friends at Hospice of Washington County.

In her final days she especially longed for heaven, where there would be no more pain and she could move with ease, even fly! Her greatest wish was that she would see her family and friends again in heaven.

She is survived by her loving husband, Pastor Lee R. Tripp; two daughters, Teri L. Pollard and husband Doug of Pacific, Washington, and Lori Lee Peckham and husband Kim of Sharpsburg; and three grandchildren, Sam and Julie Pollard, both of Pacific, and Reef Peckham of Sharpsburg.

A funeral ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5, 2013, at the Bast-Stauffer Funeral Home, 7606 Old National Pike in Boonsboro. Final resting place ceremonies will follow at Fairview Cemetery in Keedysville.

Memorial donations may be made to Hospice of Washington County, 747 Northern Avenue, Hagerstown, Maryland, 21742.