Jeanne Mae Riplinger Worthington

Born at home in Tacoma in the evening of November 2, 1924, with the doctor arriving via horse and buggy on a cold and rainy night, the youngest of four children of Ada Annette (Brown) Arper and Edward Albert Arper.

The family moved to Silverdale from Tacoma when Jeanne was 13. She went from the large Tacoma Junior High Schools with all the modern amenities and many class periods, to the Silverdale four room schoolhouse where each classroom had multiple grades in that room. In school, Jeanne enjoyed playing the flute with the band and playing tennis – She provided the tennis racquets, net and balls and created a space to play tennis at school in Silverdale.

Jeanne graduated from the Port Washington Bay Union High School (now Central Kitsap High School), and in the decades that followed, so did her three children and five of her grandchildren.

Jeanne joined the Navy Nurse Corps and moved to Tacoma to attend nurse’s training at Tacoma General Hospital. While Jeanne was attending nurse’s training, she made a visit to her family home on the Silverdale Waterfront, where the Silverdale Senior Apartments are now located on Bayshore Drive. Her future husband and a former neighbor from Tacoma, was in the Navy and briefly stationed at Bremerton. He stopped by to ask her sister Annette out roller skating. Her sister was away attending school at the University of Washington, and Jeanne accepted and accompanied him on their first date. This was during World War II and the relationship continued with letters after he deployed.

When he was able to get a short leave and return to Kitsap, the proposal with the ring happened quickly at the stoplight/stop sign at 11th and Warren Avenue on the way to the courthouse to get a marriage license. John Benjamin Riplinger and Jeanne Mae Arper were wed three days later in the Silverdale Methodist Church on March 5, 1944. At that time, the Methodist Church was located on the corner of Carlton and Washington Street NW in Silverdale. Their honeymoon consisted of a train ride to and time in Rhode Island where he was stationed at Davisville, Rhode Island.

Jeanne returned to nurse’s training in Tacoma. John returned briefly a few weeks later for a surprise visit, as he was being transferred to the Pacific Seabees, After the brief visit he would not return for more than a year. In the meantime, Jeanne graduated from nurse’s training and purchased a small home in Bremerton. Later they purchased property in Silverdale and began building their home. They moved in with her parents on the waterfront in Silverdale until the basement “apartment” was completed. They continued building their home for seven more years. Jeanne resided in the home they built for 60 years. During the decades, many memorable family holidays were hosted, including Easter brunches with homemade hot cross buns, and epic Easter egg hunts, Thanksgivings with ambrosia salad that was a favorite of the grandkids, and Holiday pot luck dinners with a table that stretched between two rooms so that everyone had a seat at the table.

Jeanne enjoyed many activities and was an avid supporter of children and the local community.

Jeanne was active in the League of Women Voters and Boy Scouts. Later she was instrumental in bringing childhood immunization clinics to the local public schools. She worked closely with public health and other nurse friends to provide a way to safely immunize as many children as possible against the newly preventable mumps, measles, rubella and polio. These clinics would be set up in the cafeteria and children whose parents had signed permission were guided to the tables set up as stations to receive the shots. Jeanne was passionate about the importance of immunizations, after having watched her brother George die of polio.

Later Jeanne was involved in PTA, a Camp Fire Girls leader and active in the Tacoma Orthopedic Captain Sue Douser Guild, holding many offices several times, including publicity, chairperson, vice chair, and treasurer, actively participating in that until she moved to Walla Walla 2014. She was also a member of the PEO Chapter GD until the time of her passing.

Jeanne raised her family in the Saint Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bremerton where she was active teaching Sunday School and in the Stephen Ministry and Lay Ministry and prayer ministry. Moving to Tracyton United Methodist Church after her marriage to Bud. There she participated in classes and activities at the church in addition to Sunday School and church services and the prayer ministry.

John Riplinger passed March 21, 1987 and Jeanne married Francis (Bud) Worthington three years later in October 1990. Jeanne and Bud enjoyed swimming, dancing, karate, activities with the Elks and the Masonic Temple, and extensive domestic and international travel. Jeanne achieved her Black Belt in Okinawan Karate, along with her husband Bud. In her free time, she subscribed to teen girl magazines like YM so she could keep up to date with what her granddaughters were interested in.

Bud’s passing in November 2009 was very hard on Jeanne. She spent three months in the hospital and physical rehabilitation centers, getting back to where she could return home with live-in care.

As Jeanne regained her strength, the idea of inviting a friend or two over for tea was considered. That idea grew to hosting monthly musical events for, fun and laughter and usually lunch. These became known as the Musical Tea Parties.

When Jeanne moved to an Independent Senior Living Community in Walla Walla, she continued hosting Musical Tea Parties for her new friends there. In Walla Walla, Jeanne joined the Red Hat Society and the Park Plaza Choir, enjoying many activities and adventures with both groups. She was also a member in the Bible study and the prayer group. She continued her support of the PEO and the Captain Sue Douser Guild. She and her daughter also continued to enjoy traveling together.

A resilient optimist, she wore silk flowers or butterflies in her hair every day until her last, and spoke kindly and with love and empathy toward others and the greater world around her. She spent her time thinking about how to help others--through time, energy, prayer, listening, and gathering with friends.

Jeanne is survived by her three children, Kay Riplinger-Baltz, Bill (Linda) Riplinger, and Jack (Carrie) Riplinger, six granddaughters and two grandsons, and eleven great-grandchildren, as well as five nephews and numerous cousins. Jeanne was preceded in passing by her parents and siblings Robert (Bob) Arper (Silverdale), Annette Arper (Anacortes), and George Arper (Silverdale).

Jeanne’s memorial Service will be held on August 7th at the Tracyton United Methodist Church. It will be an outdoors Musical Tea party in addition to the memorial service, as a tribute to her memory. The tea party begins at 1:30 and the service will start at 2pm.