Nile Ripley Barrett

Nile was born in Amityville, NY on April 21, 1943. (We know, that explains a lot!). She graduated from CCSU with her Bachelor’s in Art Education, and SCSU with her Master’s in Recreation Therapy. She enjoyed teaching art and providing art therapy services in schools and lessons for individuals and groups. Even after her retirement from the State of CT, she always enjoyed imparting her skills and gift with others through casual and formal lessons. Nile loved to learn, she took classes, workshops, read magazines and books to further hone her gift, although she was her own worst critic. Nile was an accomplished artist in many mediums, including watercolor, acrylic, oil, pen and ink and relief printing on her own printing press. She was a skilled needle artist in quilting, sewing, needle work and wool applique. She also dabbled in leatherworking with Morgan. Nile was an active member of the Clinton Art Society, Lyme Art Academy, Tracey Art Center, the Westbrook and Madison Historical Societies, Westbrook and Madison Cemetery Associations, Daughters of the American Revolution, Pattagaussett Muzzle Loaders, and the Pukwana Club. Nile was an essential participant in many volunteer organizations like the Westbrook Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, Westbrook Public Library and Mystic Seaport. She loved the beach year-round, walking on it with her dogs AND cats throughout the years, even in the snow. Soaking up the sun in the summer under an umbrella was her favorite. If someone went to visit her in the summer, the first place they would look was Little Stannard Beach, Salt Island, and THEN her house! If she visited her children and found them not at home, she would stack rocks to them know she was there, like an Irish cairn, a skill she learned from years in Girl Scouts as a girl and as a troop leader with Marlow. She loved boating trips with her brother, and anything to do with the sea. She loved to travel with trips to Italy, Florida, Cape Cod, the Caribbean on cruises, Hawaii, she even took a boat down the Amazon River! She is a member of the exclusive club of people who have been above the Arctic Circle and dipped her toes in the Arctic Ocean. She did not like to cook for herself but did enjoy a simple cookout with hotdogs, or a homemade meal at one of her children’s homes, always packing a jelly jar of her martini and a well-intentioned, but poorly executed dessert. Nile loved feeding her many outdoor friends, including birds, a family of foxes, opossums, and raccoons who lived in a hole in a tree in her yard, as well as the occasional stray cat. She loved spending time with her family and truly adored her 4 grandsons, Colton (C1), Connor (C2), Cooper (C3) and the youngest Brodie, with whom she shared a birthday. All her grandsons loved spending time with their “Grand,” helping her in the yard, playing at the beach, or just having great conversations full of sage advice. She loved spending time with her friends, most importantly “California Gail,” who she has remained friends with since grammar school. Nile loved history; she actively researched her family’s genealogy through old family and library books, internet searches and websites. Nile began following a living history group around the East coast with her husband. Once they had children, they turned these adventures into family vacations in their Winnebago motor homes. Morgan turned this love into becoming a participant in 18 th century living history reenactments, for which Nile also developed a passion. She loved going with Morgan and Heidi, and eventually her 2 older grandsons, Colton, and Connor, where she eventually got her “Rende” nickname “Two Moons”. Marlow and her sons, Cooper and Brodie joined soon after, and have continued the annual journey to “The Original,” at various sites throughout the Northeast. The family intends on going to at least one more Rendezvous together, in her memory. Cooper intends on continuing, with or without his brother and mother.

Nile loved plants and flowers; in her gardens, containers on her expansive deck, plants on her counter in the kitchen, and cut flowers anywhere from a tiny budvase on her kitchen windowsill, to larger arrangements she cut from her own yard on her coffee table.

Nile loved all things Egypt. When asked how she got her name, she would tell people her parents were Egyptologists who found her floating down the river Nile and adopted her. She was actually named after a sailing vessel from England. Nile always joked she wanted to be mummified, then later buried at sea. Her remains will be scattered at various places she requested, including Little Stannard beach, Salt Island, The Old Fort at Number 4, as well as other places she loved. She will also travel with Morgan on his various work excursions. One of her favorite things to say was “we’re (you’re) wasting daylight!” she would have been mad that she did not get to have all the adventures she still planned and those not yet dreamed of. While she strove to live to 100, and did not reach it numerically, her life adventures well surpassed that age.