Tripolina Maria GARDNER

Tripolina Maria (Faraone) Gardner died August 20, 2021 in Spokane at the age of 105. She was the fourth child of Fiorenzo and Assunta (Renzi) Faraone, born December 13, 1915, in Cranston, Rhode Island. Both her parents immigrated to the United States from Guarcino, Italy. Her father died when she was 30 days old after an accident at the factory where he worked. A few years later her mother married Luigi Menna and had three more children. She loved talking about her family history and what she could remember from her childhood. Tripolina married Army veteran Austin Leroy Gardner on February 13, 1946. The couple lived in Hollister, Missouri, for six years. Their daughter, Veronica, was born in Springfield. They then moved to California, living in Hollywood and San Jose. The couple divorced in 1975. Tripolina worked for Safeway as a meat wrapper for nearly 30 years. She loved Hawaii and she and her friend Estelle would vacation there together frequently. They spent endless hours on the beach and enjoying Waikiki. She retired and moved back to Rhode Island around 1982 to be closer to her mother and sisters when they became ill. They were a close-knit family and loved spending time together. She moved to Spokane in late 1991 to be near her daughter and grandchildren. She hosted many family gatherings, always cooking her homemade pasta sauce and meatballs for a classic Italian meal. She was known for speaking her mind and loved her family. She was thrilled when she learned she would be a great-great-grandmother. She only met the youngest after the COVID lockdown ended in May. She was delighted to finally meet him a year after he was born. She was preceded in death by her parents and her siblings; Gerosita Faraone, Berina Faraone, Tandismano Faraone, Carmella (Menna) Recchia, Mary Ann (Menna) Uhlmann and Luigi Anthony Menna. She is survived by her daughter, Veronica (Christine) Lette; granddaughters Nina Culver and Annie (Chris) Jensen; great-granddaughter Stephanie Burcham and great-great-grandsons Levi Fiorenzo Burcham and Anthony Luigi Burcham. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Thomas More Catholic Church at 11 a.m. on August 31. Burial will follow at Queen of Peace Cemetery. Online memorials can be made at www.holycrossofspokane.org.