Obituary of Jeannette H. Ripley

Jeannette H. Ripley of Revloc and Ebensburg was carried on the wings of Angels to her home in heaven on January 23, 2024, after a brief illness. Jeannette was born February 14, 1933, in My Tho, South Vietnam. Jeannette's parents were Judge Tran Van Thoan and Mrs. Nguyen Ngoc Anh. Jeannette graduated from High School in Saigon, Vietnam, and attended the Sorbonne University, Paris, France.

Jeannette is survived by her husband, Lewis H. Ripley, Jr., Esq., and by five children: Miss Rosita Sultan of Paris, France; Mr. Richard Sultan and his wife, Valérie Sultan, of Bourges, France; Mrs. Francine M. Gomes and her husband, Dr. Joseph P. Gomes, of Antioch, Illinois; Mrs. Marian A. Blem and her husband, Mr. Kevin E. Blem, of Orange, Texas; and Mr. Edward J. Hessler of Cocoa Beach, Florida. Jeannette is survived by eight grandchildren: Miss Magali Ciret of Villeneuve-Loubet, France; Miss Mai Li Sultan of Bourges, France; Miss Lisan Sultan of Bourges, France; Dr. Joseph S. Gomes and his wife, Mrs. Katy Gomes, of Iowa City, Iowa; Miss Jeannette M. Gomes of Antioch, Illinois; Mr. William E. Gomes of Antioch, Illinois; Dr. Eric Blem and his wife, Meredith Blem, Esq. of Centennial, Colorado; and Mr. Alex Blem of Melbourne, Florida. Jeannette is survived by two great-grandchildren: Robbie Gomes and Olivia Gomes. Jeannette is survived by three cousins that she has been very close to all of her life: Mrs. Martha Phuong Nguyen and her husband, Mr. Khan Van Tran, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Mr. Leon Hoang Nguyen and his wife, Mrs. Cam Nhung Nguyen, of Alexandria, Virginia; and Ms. Nguyen Thi Tam, of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Jeannette was very proud of becoming a citizen of the United States of America at the Federal Courthouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1961.

She was a member of Holy Name Catholic Church in Ebensburg. She was the Innkeeper of The Noon-Collins Inn in Ebensburg. She was a member of the Ebensburg Woman's Club. She was a member of the following professional organizations in her position of co-owner with her husband of The Noon-Collins Inn: Ebensburg Main Street Partnership, Greater Johnstown Cambria County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Indiana County Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Pennsylvania Bed and Breakfast Association. Jeannette was Secretary-Treasurer of the Bethel Baptist Church and Cemetery Association.

Jeannette's lifelong passions were cooking, travel and keeping up with trends in fashion and decorating. She always was studying to learn and try new things. She received an award from Hotels.com of 9.2 out of 10. She was tri-lingual being fluent in English, French and Vietnamese. She traveled extensively to Europe, Asia and the Middle East and used to tell her family stories of her experiences.

Jeannette enjoyed short getaways with Lew to Deep Creek Lake in Maryland and to the seashore. She enjoyed watching her great-grandchildren, Robbie and Olivia very much, through her iPhone. She was an animal lover, following the antics of Gary and Cosmo, the two cats belonging to grandchildren Jeannette and Joe. She also enjoyed following the show results of Edward's AKC Grand Champion show dog, Sir Elton.

Jeannette was preceded in death by her parents, her first husband, Francis E. Hessler, and her brother, Tran Ngoc Thu (Jeanot).

Jeannette's family wants to thank very much the nurses and staff at Conemaugh Memorial Medical Center, Ashman, 10th floor, Maple Heights Health and Rehab Center, and Pinnacle Palliative Care for all that they did for Jeannette and her family.

Friends will be received on Thursday, January 25, 2024, at the Askew-Houser Funeral Home, Inc., 300 N. Julian Street, Ebensburg, PA from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., and on Friday, January 26, 2024 at 10:30 a.m. prior to the Funeral Mass at 11:00 a.m., at Holy Name Catholic Church, Fr. Brian L. Warchola, Celebrant. Interment will be at Lloyd Cemetery, Ebensburg. Condolences to the family may be left at www.askew-houser.com