Thomas D Triplett

Thomas D. Triplett
Sept. 24, 1936 – June 11, 2018

Thomas David Triplett went to his heavenly father with family by his side. He was born in Pomeroy, Iowa, the second of James and Marie (Baker) Triplett’s eight children. At a young age the family moved to a rural area near the small town of Rolfe, Iowa where Tom fell in love with farming and John Deere Tractors. There he became an avid water skier and later worked on the farm operating heavy equipment.
Tom attended Des Moines Township high school where he graduated with a class of seven students in 1955. A year later Tom’s high school sweetheart, Marcella Zeman, graduated from the same school. In December of 1956 the two were married.
In 1961, Tom and Marcy left the cold winters of Iowa and moved to the warm summers of Phoenix, AZ where Tom worked as an independent contractor in several service-oriented industries. He ran a Crystal Bottled Water route, a lawn care service, and later owned Arizona Power Equipment. By the time he was 28, Tom and Marcy’s family had grown – they had given birth to seven Tripletts. With a family of nine in the household, Tom still managed to find room for his extensive narrow gauge model railroad set. In his early thirties, looking for a new career, Tom became a pilot and found a job flying over road construction.
After 15 years in Phoenix Tom and Marcy moved the family to Montrose. There Tom purchased the Radio Shack, where he sold many CB radios. After Radio Shack, he became a realtor. He owned and operated Triplett Western Appraisal in Montrose for 20 years before retiring in 2008. Tom was a member of St. Mary Catholic Church for 40 years and had previously been a member of the St. Mary’s Finance Committee and Rotary Club. Tom loved camping. During their retirement, he and Marcy took frequent trips in their motor home and enjoyed meeting up with various RV clubs. Tom also enjoyed other outdoor activities including golf, fly fishing, and Geocaching.
Tom was predeceased by his wife of 59 years, Marcella Triplett, his youngest brother, Michael, and an infant sister. He is survived by siblings, Joe (Josephine-deceased), LuAnn (Don), Larry (Millie), Jim (Zola), Dick (Margarida), and sister-in-law, Jeanne Triplett. Children Linda (Joe) Sullivan of Montrose, Lori (Lynn) Stauffer of Loveland, CO, David of Joplin, MO, Kristal (Kenny) Schott of Pocahontas, IA, Judy (John) Lorenz of Loveland, CO, Thomas (Becky) of Bloomington, IN, Steve of Commerce City, CO and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
A funeral mass will be held at St. Mary Catholic Church on Fri. June 22nd at noon immediately followed by a luncheon at the church. The vigil, a time of sharing memories and stories, is Thurs. June 21st at 7:00pm at Crippin Funeral Home. All are welcome to attend the celebrations. Tom’s wish was to be cremated and he will reside in Grand View Cemetery alongside his wife, Marcy.
Memorial contributions may be made to St. Mary Development Fund, 1855 St. Mary’s Dr., Montrose 81401 or HopeWest 725 S. 4th St., Montrose 81401. The family wishes to thank HopeWest and all the nurses and aides for their wonderful care given to Tom for the last 14 months. Crippin Funeral Home & Crematory in Montrose is assisting the family.