Ronald Lawrence Tripp

In loving memory of Ronald Lawrence Tripp, known to friends as Lawrence, born August 19, 1958, at St Joseph’s Hospital in Flint, Michigan, to Mary Katherine Gosho and Charles Nomer Tripp. Lawrence passed away on April 1, 2026, in San Jose, CA, at 67. He was brilliant, kind, generous, and a great listener.

Lawrence grew up in a series of Los Angeles neighborhoods before settling in Echo Park. There he made lifelong connections with his neighborhood friends. He was a trusted and loyal friend, and remained close to his childhood acquaintances throughout his life.

He attended Loyola High School in LA, where he and his friend Chuck Yamarone were the top two on the entrance exam, graduating in the spring of 1976. He then began college at UC Berkeley, where he studied German and Political Science. He was active in many political causes there, including the Campuses United Against Apartheid in 1977 and Berkeley divestment protests in 1985–1986. He also protested nuclear power and weapons development at the University. He spent a year abroad at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen in Germany in 1978-1979 with his friends Eric Newirth and Chris Stoehr. He lived for some time in Barrington Hall, a notorious university co-op, where he edited the Barrington Bull and also made many lifetime friends. Lawrence graduated Berkeley in 1981 with a German/Political Science double major.

Lawrence entered Golden Gate School of Law in 1981, but he dropped out and struggled with addiction for the next two decades, finally achieving sobriety in 2001. He went back to law school at Southwestern School of Law, graduating with top honors in 2006. Lawrence was admitted to the California State Bar in 2006 and joined the Los Angeles Public Defenders office where he excelled in a variety of roles over the next fifteen years. During this time, he lived in his beloved Echo Park neighborhood. In 2021, Lawrence retired from the Public Defender’s office in Los Angeles and moved to Santa Cruz. There, he continued to work as a Public Defender.

Lawrence was always a learner and a fighter for justice, with a long history of public service. In his recovery, he became a fierce advocate for his program, sponsoring and giving service to all who asked. His recovery was a model for hundreds, and his common sense, good judgment, and sharp wit were welcome additions to the recovery programs in which he participated. His story of recovery and redemption is an inspiration to all who have struggled. He often said that the main quality for sponsorship was empathy - the necessary prerequisite for compassionate guidance. His recovery gave him unparalleled understanding of many of his clients, allowing him to better represent their interests. He once explained “most of my clients are guilty - but not of what they are charged with.”

He firmly believed in the necessity of advocating for the less fortunate and was always active in social justice causes. He was an active supporter of Housing Matters in Santa Cruz. In his retirement, he served on the board of the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz and worked with the National Lawyers Guild and the ACLU to monitor political protests, as well as working to rescue injured wildlife with the Native Animal Rescue of Santa Cruz County. He also trained as counsel for soldiers facing disciplinary hearings.

Lawrence supported the people of Gaza in a very personal way. He contributed to the support of Gaza refugees and was a strong advocate for them. He eschewed rhetoric and acted directly on his beliefs in compassion and support for the powerless.

Lawrence loved nature. In 2003, he discovered a love for backpacking and took classes in snow camping as well while exploring the San Gabriel mountains, climbing many of the major peaks there and bringing many of his friends and family into the high country. A 2009 trip to Mendocino introduced him to kayaking, and his love for that sport grew to the point that he had five kayaks of his own. In 2022, he moved to Santa Cruz where he could enjoy kayaking as well as hiking in the redwoods. He also loved his mountain bike, spending many happy days riding in Nicene Marks and other Santa Cruz parks.

He loved to travel, visiting Viet Nam, Ireland, and finally Japan with his friend Chuck Yamarone, fulfilling a lifelong dream.

In 2023 he moved to Bonny Doon where he lived out his final days among the redwoods, entertaining friends at his cabin in the woods. Diagnosed with cancer in 2023, shortly after retirement, he faced his illness with the same grace and resolve that marked so much of his life. Friends described him as “stoic” in the true sense of the word. He was determined to enjoy every minute of his retirement, whether in solitude or in the company of his many friends.

Lawrence was a huge fan of live music, and spent much of his life, especially the final years, attending shows with his friends. He had a wide range of tastes, from jazz, to Classical, to the Grateful Dead. He also played music, and was proficient on the guitar, flute, trumpet, and clarinet and was learning the piano. He loved the music of Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, and Woody Guthrie, and Beethoven. He was also a voracious reader, amassing a collection of over 1,000 books.

Lawrence never married, though he was very close to his partners and was loved by all who knew him. He is survived by his sisters Angela and Pamela , Angela’s children Kevin, Patrick and Sean, and Pam’s children Christopher, Samara, William, Kristen, and Katherine, their children, and a broad circle of friends who valued his warmth and integrity.

He was buried April 6, 2026, at Purissima Cemetery, 1165 Verde Rd, Half Moon Bay, CA. A Memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, May 16, 2026, at the Resource Center for Nonviolence in Santa Cruz, and a second memorial in Berkeley May 17 at the Berkeley Friends Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists.

Contributions in memory can be sent to the National Resource Defense Council.

Lawrence will be remembered for his warmth, integrity, and sharp humor. His life touched very many people, and the memories they hold of him will keep his spirit alive.