Jessie Wade Ripple

Ithaca – Jessie Wade Ripple, age 95 of Ithaca, died Sunday, August 29, 2021 at Agrace Hospice in Madison, WI. The daughter of the late Gust Kanakaris and Irene Pearl Popper Kanakaris -Wade, she was raised and educated in Wisconsin and Indiana including receiving her teaching degree from Milwaukee State Teacher’s College, where she was a member of Alpha Delta Sigma Sorority. A long-time resident of Ithaca, Jessie was a school teacher at Cayuga Heights Elementary School and Northeastern Central School in the 1960’s and 70’s. Prior to teaching in Ithaca, she taught 3rd and 5th grades at Burdick School in Milwaukee and Cherokee Heights in Madison, WI. Jessie celebrated 58 years of marriage with Dr. Richard E. Ripple, who died on September 16, 2010. She found fulfillment in life by being with her grandchildren. She also enjoyed gardening, admiring nature, making friends and maintaining relationships, traveling, and writing cards and poems. A close friend stated, “When Jessie would give money to a cause, she would always read a poem she wrote marking the importance of the cause and the gift.” Her memberships included: Ithaca Rotary Club of which she was a Paul Harris Fellow; Juneau Letterwinners Club; Past-President of the Ithaca Lioness Club, Newfield Lioness Club, Hong Kong Lioness Club, Ithaca Women’s Club, Ithaca Garden Club, GIAC, and the Retired Teacher’s Association. During retirement, she assisted her husband, for several years, as Faculty-In-Residence at Mews Hall at Cornell University and organized several MEWS speaking events on campus. She was a woman who will always be remembered for her abilities to plan, organize and host social events for friends, families and college students. She will be remembered by many for being a very kindhearted and generous person.

Jessie is survived by her daughter, Lynne (Bradford) Goldsmith; her granddaughter, Christine (Reed) Grogan, a grandson, Michael John Peterson, IV and his fiancée, Krista Hagman; three nephews, Paul (Fritz), David (Pam), and Jim Ripple. In addition to her parents and husband, Jessie is predeceased by her sister, Leonore Dickmann.

Family and friends may gather on Friday September 17, 2021 at Parrilla Restaurant (formerly known as the Ithaca Country Club) at 12:30 p.m. for a luncheon and fellowship. Due to Covid, Funeral Services will be posted and made available on the funeral home’s website on Saturday (September 18, 2021). Burial will be private at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Cayuga Heights. If desired, memorials may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice or friends are encouraged to plant a tree or flower in Jessie’s memory.