Obituary of Robert Henry Trippel

Robert Henry Trippel, born June 28, 1944, went home to be with the Lord on May 8, 2023 at his home in Plymouth, Minnesota. Bob is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Judy, his son, Aaron (Jen) Trippel, daughter Robin (Steve) Ray, and five grandchildren: Rianna, Ryan, Catriona, Jessamine and Danika, along with his sister, Kathy (Steve) Johnson of Prior Lake, Minnesota, and nephew Kyle (Alyssa) Johnson. Bob was preceded in death by his parents, Margaret (Hatz) and Henry Trippel. 

Bob grew up and graduated high school in Glencoe, Minnesota. He was a long-time IT technology professional, beginning his career at Minneapolis Moline, which became White Motor, in Hopkins, Minnesota. He worked at Litton Microwave in the 1980s, which moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1986, introducing Bob and Judy to the south. In 1991, Bob switched companies, joining the IT group at Maybelline in Memphis. A few years later, Maybelline was acquired by L’Oreal, and Bob and Judy made the move to Maumelle, Arkansas, where Bob eventually retired after approximately 20 years with Maybelline/L’Oreal.

During his time in Arkansas, Bob was an active volunteer at First Baptist Church of Maumelle, where he helped rebuild the church kitchen and ran an operation feeding 70-100 people each week on a shoestring budget. Bob ordered the food, cooked and shared fellowship with the guests during the meal, which he enjoyed immensely.

Upon retirement, Bob and Judy returned to Minnesota where they were able to participate in the lives of their grandchildren and family. They became active at Bibles for Missions Thrift Store, where they volunteered for about 10 years. Bob and Judy attended Maple Ridge Church in Maple Grove, Minnesota.

Bob’s time in the south introduced him to his love of heat and barbecue. He could always be relied upon to provide his friends and family with smoked pork, great barbecue sauce and a lot of jokes (some of which were even funny). 

Bob fought a valiant battle against non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He is sorely missed. A celebration of his life will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Maple Ridge Church, 13400 Maple Knoll Way, Maple Grove, MN 55369.