Obituary for
Enid Gloria Ripley (Bye)
ENID RIPLEY 1925 – 2018
Enid Gloria (Bye) Ripley of Stratford passed away on July 15, 2018 in her 94th year. She was born in St, Thomas, Ontario on May 9, 1925, the daughter of Stanley and Faye (Phillips) Bye. She was predeceased by her parents, her husband Byron Ripley, daughter Jennifer Susan Ripley, grand-daughter Flora Ripley, sisters June Martin, Wilma Clarke, Lois Bye and Edna Bye, brothers-in-law Walter Martin and William Clarke, niece Lois (Martin) Rafuse and sister-in-law Helen Bye. Survived by her brother Robert Bye of Chatham and by her children Gordon (Jane McQuarrie) of Teeswater, Janet (Richard Armstrong) of Iqaluit, Robert (Jean Campbell) of Toronto, Mary (Grant Stelmack) of Waterloo and Colin (Jason van Eyk) of Toronto. Also survived by grandchildren Alex Ripley, Susannah Ripley, Gordon Ripley (Andrea), Robyn Ripley (Luc), Shamus Armstrong (Sarah), Joshua Armstrong (Wendy), Zachary Armstrong (Sarah), Andrew Stelmack, David Stelmack, Kathy Garland (Jordan) and by great-grandchildren Oliva Garland, Hazel Armstrong, Philo Armstrong, Penelope Armstrong, Tessa Armstrong, Raina Armstrong, Talia Armstrong and Adam Ripley. She was a proud aunt to nephews Don Clarke, Ken Clarke and Howard Clarke.
Enid grew up in St. Thomas and was a graduate of Arthur Voaden Vocational School. In 1943 she joined the Canadian Women’s Army Corps. (CWAC) and after basic training in London and Kitchener, was posted to Halifax, Nova Scotia as a Sergeant. In November of 1945 she married LAC Byron Ripley (Royal Canadian Air Force) of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia. It was a union sanctioned by the military, and one that was to last for fifty years. Enid and Byron began their married life in Hamilton, Ontario and then proceeded to raise their young family in Sparta (Ontario), St. Thomas, Sydney River (Cape Breton) and Latterly, Stratford. as her children began to leave home she worked variously as a medical secretary, bookkeeper and administrative clerk with the Perth District Health Unit, where she received an early introduction to data processing. She was an avid and lifelong reader, devouring mysteries and biographies at an amazing rate on her Kindle. She kept a daily journal on her computer, wrote poetry and prose, and over the space of a decade, compiled a personal history for her sons and daughters. She was a dedicated member of Centre Street Baptist Church (St. Thomas) and Ontario Street Baptist Church in Stratford. Enid was clever, and all but unbeatable in Scrabble, but she was self-effacing about her abilities. If she was ever proud it was of her Loyalist ancestors in New Brunswick and New York. She had a ready sense of humour and an infectious laugh, which we will miss greatly. She was, above all, an optimist to the last.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, July 21, 2018 at Ontario Street Baptist Church, Stratford, at 4:00 p.m. Visitation will take place in the Rutherford Funeral Home, 804 Ontario Street, Stratford, (519) 271-5062, on Wednesday, July 18, 2018 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Interment will be in the St. Thomas Cemetery at a later date. Donations can be made to the Stratford General Hospital Foundation or to a charity of your choosing.
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Nos plus sincères sympathies à la famille et aux amis de Enid Gloria Ripley Bye 1925 2018.source
Décès pour la Ville: STRATFORD, Province: Ontario
