We mourn the passing of our dear parents, Lawton (Earl) Triplett, on June 6, 2024, at the age of 94 and Jeannette (Diane) Triplett (Heeren) on January 4, 2025, at the age of 87. They were married 71 years. They have 3 children, Harold born in 1954, Kurt born in 1957 and Brenda born in 1970. They have 7 grandchildren, Carly, Kayla, Lindsey, Drew, James Earl (Jeb), Adrianna, Johnathon and an honorary granddaughter-in-law that is more like a granddaughter Morgan; 12 great grandchildren Brie, Bryn and baby Tripp, Sterling and McCoy, twins Bridget and Audrey, and Teddy, Ryder and Samuel Earl, Aylianna and Baylie; a very special friend of Mom’s, Evelyn Lindamood, passed eight days before she did.
As kids growing up, they taught us how to behave, to be polite, courteous, and confident. Dad never ceased to amaze us with his ability to do just about anything and everything he put his mind to. He owned and operated a gas station and taught himself how to repair TVs and started a TV repair business, just to name a few. He most loved being a heavy equipment operator and earned a well-deserved reputation of being the best heavy equipment operator anyone has ever seen. He started working with his dad Oak at the age of 12 after school putting cole in the steam engine. By the age of 16 he was running his first crane. He was a skillful carpenter, from making flower baskets, to turning our ranch home into a split-level home. None of us can remember once when he said I’ll call the ‘guy’ to come and fix it. If he didn’t know how, he had an uncanny ability to figure it out. When it came to cars, he knew everything. This was a man who didn’t mind getting his hands dirty. He never turned down anyone who asked for his help, and a lot of people did, including his kids and he was happy to do it. He helped Brenda and her husband Roger build their first and second home after the first one burnt down. He even put two navy ships together like a puzzle. One named USS WOOD COUNTY LST-1178. Mom’s brother Ron was in the navy and was assigned to this very ship. Even at the age of 94 and after having widow maker heart attacks he would come home from the hospital and cut grass. He was a tuff man but had Jesus in his heart. He had 3 cats he loved taking care of and a dog named Buddy. He also loved Brenda’s dog’s but his favorite dog of hers was JoJo. Everyone in the family would say Grammy made the best Coco Wheats but the ones who had Gramp’s would say he made the best. All these skills were passed down to Harold. Harold was certainly a chip off dad’s block. Following in dad’s footsteps, becoming a heavy equipment operator and the ability to pretty much do anything he put his mind to. Dad was not only a fix it all man he was also known for his artistic skills. He would draw for family, friends and even businesses. We all marveled at the Bambi mural he painted on Brenda’s bedroom walls. Kurt inherited the artistic side of dad’s skills. Kurt soon found a passion for drawing using pencil as his medium.
Our mom was just as amazing in her own right. As kids growing up, she showed us what unconditional love was all about. She was the perfect mom, perfect wife and perfect grammy. Growing up, it seemed like she was just as much of a kid as we were. All our friends loved mom, and she loved them right back. As kids, we were lucky to have grown up with so many pets. It was wonderful. From ponies and horses, one being a former show horse that only Mom could ride, good luck if you tried to ride her. One night, mom spent all night in the barn helping to deliver baby Thunder. Horses was her favorite animal. We had Mr. and Mrs. Bah Bah our sheep. Mr. Bah Bah wasn’t the most pleasant sheep, but for some reason he would let Brenda ride him like you would a horse. Our wonderful dog’s growing up, Lady, Poochie and so many more. Can’t forget the chicken we had for several years Brownie, or Brenda’s beloved miniature pony Snowball. Looking back, she loved all the animals, and we all loved them as well. The woman was full of love. She was dedicated to making sure we had a wonderful childhood, and we all would certainly agree, we had the best childhood.
As we got older, Mom started exploring hobbies. The amazing thing was that when she decided on a hobby, she would immerse herself in library books and become an expert. Hobbies included tropical fish, birds, of which we all remember Oscar, the cockatiel. He really didn’t talk, but it was just like Mom to teach him the perfect wolf whistle. Crafts on crafts on crafts, she loved crafting, turning out some amazing work. However, her true passion was flowers, African Violets were her favorite. Over the years she earned many Grand Champion, Best of Show, and First Place awards at the Scioto County Fair. She also enjoyed belonging to a flower club, where she made many friends. Mom was also a tuff bird like dad but like dad she also had Jesus in her heart. Mom also had an uncanny ability for small talk. No one was a stranger to her. She could have a conversation with literally anyone. A good example was asking a man in the Walmart checkout line what those tear drop tattoos meant. That started a long conversation that ended with him asking mom for a hug before he left. I’m not sure how she did it, but small talk wasn’t lost on her. Brenda picked up on this skill and, just like Mom, no one is a stranger to her. Brenda and her family lived beside mom and dad for 25 years. Mom and dad played a big role in helping raise her son James Earl (Jeb) and two bonus kids Adrianna and Johnathon. Mom and dad considered Jeb more like a son than a grandson and Jeb says they are his second parents. Brenda’s favorite thing to do was to walk up to their house and sit outside on the porch swing under the big trees and chitchat with her mama and her daddy and watch her dogs run all around the property. To mom and dad, she was their little princess. Mom and Brenda have always been best friends but as the months go by after dad’s passing Brenda has realized that her daddy was also her best friend. Everyone in the family considered mom their best friend. Mom was a special person as was dad. They both will always be greatly missed and always loved very much.
