Allan Ralph Ripley

Allan Ralph Ripley was an educated man who enjoyed philosophy, the sciences, and foreign languages. He was born on March 16, 1946 in Everett, Washington to Marilyn and Francis Ripley.
He joined the Navy during the Vietnam war, and served his country aboard aircraft carriers and destroyers, traveling all over the world. During this time he and his wife, Rebecca had four children, all of them girls. He often said, with a laugh, he was blessed with girls because of how much he’d liked them when he was younger. In 1987 he retired from the Navy as a Master Chief and relocated his family to Kitsap County, Washington where he and Rebecca resided until his death.
Allan was a man of few words, and had a gruff exterior. He respected knowledge and expected his children and grandchildren to continue to self-educate and have a passion for learning long after they were done with formal education. During his life he earned two Master’s degrees and several certifications in areas that interested him, including Computer Forensics.
Although Allan was not religious, he believed in God and that people had a right to a personal relationship with God in whatever way best fit them. He never preached to his children about their Faith, but he would listen to what they had to say, even if he didn’t necessarily agree. He believed independence of thought as well as nature was an integral part of growing up and maturing.
He was an artist, maybe not in a traditional sense, but in the way he viewed life. He loved classical music, and Opera. He’d fill the house with the strong sounds of Pavarotti, and classical guitar music. When he was younger he played the Trumpet and helped teach his daughters to read music as they experienced woodwind instruments.
He learned to sail and scuba dive, and taught himself how to cure meat, grow food, and provide for his family in case of hard times. After reading about food storage, he built a storage room under his home, where he stocked dry goods to feed his entire family.
Allan was a man of many talents and opinions, but the most important thing to him was family. Everything he did was to provide for his family and to insure they were taken care of. This included teaching his children how to drive a manual transmission, change the tires on their cars, how to cook with whatever was available, and to not expect handouts in life.
Though he experienced many places and things in his earlier years, as he got older, he preferred the quiet of his home, the company of his family, and a glass of fine Scotch. When he wasn’t working, he could be found relaxing in his easy chair, with a cup of tea, an educational book, and his rather large and in charge feline, Everett, whom he had acquired from his youngest daughter.
When his children came to visit he enjoyed nothing more than an hour or two of conversation over a cup of some newly discovered tea. He would find joy in sunny days when he could spend time outside with his grandchildren, roasting hotdogs, marshmallows and making S’mores over his fire pit.
He loved his family, and was loved in return. He left this Earth knowing the joy of his eleven grandchildren, and the happiness of seeing his children grown with families of their own.
Survivors: Wife Rebecca Ripley, Daughters – Katherine Skinner, Rachel Ellis, Sarah Ortega, Vanessa Cornell. Grandchildren 11, Nieces & Nephews 4.
An on-line memorial, life story and tribute wall can be accessed at www.rill.com .