Vienna E. Tripp

Vienna Tripp, 96, passed peacefully on Feb 3 at her home in Lolo, MT. She was born in Brocket, ND December 14,1929 to Aili and Gustaf Johnson. Gustaf died in his early 30’s and left Aili with 7 small children (Waino, Sadie, Lydia, Nestor, Vienna, Leo and Arve) of which the older 4 were farmed out while Vienna and the other two younger brothers stayed and worked with her mother, Aili, cooking and caring for farm crews from the age of 9 years old.

In her young life Vienna got pretty handy with a gun and poached deer and caught many fish to help the family survive. They later moved to Deer River Minnesota in her early teenage years where she met and married Don Tripp on July 26, 1946. In 1947, Vienna took son Gary, to Missoula where Don and his brothers had moved and started trucking operations. They had a home on 6th street in Missoula, where Mom raised chickens and gardens to help provide additional income while purchasing other lots on her block. They built a home on Garrett and lived there for a few years while Don drove his highway truck. They purchased a ranch up Lolo Creek where Vienna loved cooking for the family and the ranch hands (mostly nephews and kids) during calving and haying seasons. 

In1965, Don and Vienna bought land and moved to Lolo to build a home and Don Tripp’s Truck Stop and Café (Now Town Pump and McDonalds). She and Don and the kids worked tirelessly at the truck stop for many years. She and Don helped build the Lolo community by donating land and materials to Lolo Community Church, the lumber for the Lolo Catholic church and walked miles to raise money for the Lolo Community Center. In addition to the truck stop they built a hardware store, truck wash, lumber company in Lolo while owning and operating a fleet of trucks hauling lumber and grain. 

Vienna loved trap shooting and she was so good at it that she won 4th in the National Finals Trap Shooting Tournament in Vandalia, Ohio in 1983. They also built homes in Wickenburg, Arizona and enjoyed the winters there for many years. 

Her husband Don passed away in 2011, and Vienna continued to live in their Lolo home until her passing. She was preceded in death by Don, son Don JR, grandson Caleb, and all of her siblings. 

She is survived by her sons Gary Tripp, Dave (Patty), and daughter Jan Henderson (Ron) and grandchildren Jon, Oli, Uri, Ali, Dusty, Dylan, Rinnan, Leah, Aaron, Josh and Lindsay, Caleb, Ben and Khama and numerous great grandchildren and her great great granddaughter, Vienna. Thank you to Partners in Home Care, caregivers: Randy, Makhailia, and Kerri. 

Funeral services for this amazing woman with Finnish Sisu will be held at Lolo Community Church on Saturday, Feb 14 at 3 PM with graveside to follow at Florence Carlton Cemetery. A luncheon will be provided by Lolo Community Church after the graveside service.