[Vision2020] Katherine Jane (Eiselein) Ripley Obituary

[Scott Dredge]

https://lmtribune.com/obituaries/katherine-jane-eiselein-ripley/article_92b7eb34-c13b-59d0-824d-635e8dd12501.html



Katherine Jane (Eiselein) Ripley



•  Jan 16, 2022 Updated 15 hrs ago



Katherine Jane Ripley, 33, died Friday, Jan. 7, 2022, in the ER of Gritman
Medical Center surrounded by family members after spending more than 20
hours waiting for an ICU bed to open up somewhere in Idaho, Montana or
Washington. There were no beds available, thanks to unvaccinated COVID-19
patients.



Katie came into this world April 26, 1988, in Spokane, weighing a whopping
9 pounds, 11½ ounces and immediately became a daddy’s girl to her father,
Kai Eiselein. After a few years of suffering the indignities of crooked,
off-center, too-high or too-low pony tails and wearing far too many
overalls, Katie’s forever mom, Anna Blair Eiselein, came into her life.
Katie loved to tell people that Anna fell in love with her first, and her
dad was just a bonus.



The family moved to the Kendrick area when she was 9 years old, where she
grew up on the Blair Farm and attended school in Juliaetta and Kendrick and
got into all kinds of mischief with her favorite uncle, Christopher Blair.
A gifted writer and athlete, she graduated from Kendrick High School in
2006, where she played varsity volleyball, basketball and her favorite,
softball, along with being active in FFA and band.



The fifth generation to work at a newspaper, Katie was employed at the
Latah Eagle when she went into labor with son Aaron in 2008, making the
paper a day late. She later went to work for the Lewiston Morning Tribune
as a news clerk. She loved working at the Tribune and made many lifelong
friends there. She was at her desk working when she went into labor with
her daughter Amelia in 2014. After leaving the Tribune, Katie went to work
as a “spirit guide” at an Idaho state liquor store in Lewiston.



Katie met the love of her life, Ian Ripley, in 2010. They were married Jan.
8, 2016, in Coeur d’Alene. Katie loved telling Ian that she loved him for
loving her. The family moved to Moscow from Lewiston in 2018.



After the birth of her daughter, Katie became a stay-at-home mom. She
became active in the Lewis-Clark Early Childhood Program policy council,
where she served a term as president.



In early 2021, she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer, which she
battled into remission in her usual sarcastic, competitive way.



Katie lit up every room she walked into, her kindness and sense of humor
drew friends from all walks of life. It’s been said that the brightest
stars burn the quickest, and Katie’s was blinding.



Katie is survived by her husband Ian; children Aaron and Amelia; her
parents, Kai and Anna Eiselein, of Moscow; half-sister Krystle Haga, of
Spokane; grandmother Jane Eiselein, of Massapequa, N.Y.; grandmother Wanda
Reynolds, of Spokane; uncle Christopher Blair, of Carlsbad, N.M.; aunt and
uncle Rhonda and Robert Blair, of Kendrick; aunt Melissa King, of Spokane;
cousins Logan and Dillon Blair, both of Moscow; along with numerous other
relatives.



She was preceded in death by her most trusted adviser, “Papa” Jack Beebe,
and grandparents John and Marga Blair, of Kendrick.



Since Katie was not a fan of winter, a celebration of life will take place
later, when the weather is warmer. The date, time and place will be
announced on social media.



As Katie would say, “Check your tatas!”



Please, get vaccinated against COVID-19 — your actions really do affect
others.



In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to the Gritman Foundation’s Light
a Candle program, or the Ronald McDonald House.
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