Eleanor Tripp Memorial Minute

Sixteen years before her death on August 16, 2003, at the age of 93, the following minute of appreciation was approved:

“We have been charmed by her personality, enchanted by her flowers, warmed by her unfailing and generous hospitality, and informed by her historical interest and acumen.

By her regular attendance at Meeting for Worship, her faithful work on committees, and her activities in the Westport community at large, she has brought joy to us all.

It has been said that the Society of Friends does not make Quakers, but discovers them.  We record our gratitude that we have discovered Eleanor, and she, us.”

She helped to keep local historians informed of Paul Cuffe’s life, welcomed all comers to her house and to the Meetinghouse, fed us all from her open hearth, cared for her house and garden, hosted a long-standing study group on Sunday evenings, loved to sail, appreciated birds, loved her little dogs and as long as she was able, drove a prehistoric Volvo.

One Friend at her memorial service recalled that when she first met Eleanor, she found it difficult to believe that anyone could be so apparently perfect, but that as time went by she found it was not only possible but, in fact, true.  Eleanor will be remembered fondly by generations of Friends, family, and acquaintances.

Approved at the Monthly Meeting for Business held on April 18, 2004.

Howard Baker-Smith
Clerk