Mary Ripley, a daughter of the late Ann and Tony Ripley, passed away on Aug. 20, 2024, in Boulder, after a long illness. She was 67. She was a loving daughter, sister, and aunt, who spent much time with the family in Lyons over the 30 years during which the Ripleys lived there. She was predeceased by her mother, Ann Ripley, in 2023, and her father, Tony, in 2003.
Mary Randolph Ripley was born in Pontiac, Mich., on April 6, 1957, the second of six daughters born to Ann Mary Ripley (nee Brunner) and Anthony Ripley. In Michigan, she lived over time in Royal Oak, Birmingham, and Detroit, attending parochial and, later, public schools. The family moved house several times for Tony’s work. In 1969, the family moved to Boulder, and in 1972, to Bethesda, Md., where Mary completed high school in 1975. After seven months in London, U.K., the family returned to the US in early 1976; by mid-year, the family had returned to Boulder, where Mary held various jobs. She moved to Alexandria, Va., in 1978, to where the family had moved that summer. She later lived in Staunton, Va., from 1982 to 1992; and in Longmont, Colo., from 1992 to 2020. She spent her final years in a retirement community in Boulder.
Mary enjoyed music, shopping, embroidery, family gatherings, and animal companions. She shared a lot of wit and humor and was highly social despite struggling with ill health. She will be missed and is survived by her sisters: Sarah, of Lakewood, Colo.; Catherine Metzger, of Norwood, Colo.; Emily, of New York; Jane, of Longmont; and Martha, of Denver; her niece, Virginia Nastase, of Oak Park, Mich., and her nephew, M. Antoni Habsburg-Lothringen, of Brooklyn, N.Y.; four brothers-in-law: Ken Rogers, John Metzger, Ben Bajorek, and Vance Watt; an aunt, Maud Plumer; and many cousins.
A celebration of life is planned for Dec. 28 at 11:00 AM at Lyons Community Church, 350 Main Street, Lyons, Colo. Contributions may be made to an animal shelter of your choice.
RIP Cousin Mary, love Janette