Nina (Tripole) Koehler

Nina (Tripole) Koehler, born January 23, 1920 in Penn Yan, New York, passed away September 22,2018 in Wimberley, Texas.

Nina was the third eldest of the eight children born to Italian parents James and Mary Tripole. She joined the U.S. Navy in 1943 after working in the Defense Work Division of Eclipse Machine Company the previous yea. She served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to the end of WW2 in 1945. She later, as a civilian, clerked in the military offices of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps in California. She was a proud lifetime member of the American Legion and believed strongly in being charitable to veteran causes.

Nina and Carl “CK” Koehler met during their coinciding careers in the US post Office and they were married in August of 1986. Although their friendship spanned many years, their marriage was shortened by CK’s passing in 1988.

Nina was well travelled and never afraid to begin a new adventure. She lived in New York, California, Colorado, and Texas. She spent part of every year in her family home in the scenic Finger Lake city of Penn Yan, NY. She didn’t stop driving the nearly 30hr solo road trip until she reached her 90s.

Though her strong New York-Italian accent gave her away as perhaps not a native Texas, she built strong familial ties and long friendships in Wimberley, TX, including being a devoted member of St. Mary Catholic Church. She was introduced to Wimberley by her friendship with fellow naval veteran Mary Anderson. Through this friendship, she spent her time in Texas helping at The Corral Theatre, Rocky River Ranch and Harambe Oaks Ranch. She enjoyed making countless friends, looked forward to visits from her brother, attended card parties, and was always up for a slice of rhubarb pie from Wimberley Café.

Nina was independent, passionate, and endlessly generous. Her devotion to God, through the Catholic faith, led her to a life devoted to charity. She was loyal and loving, and well loved in return by her friends and family. She is survived by her brother Father Martin Tripole of St. Joseph’s University of Philadelphia, PA; and sister Genevieve Griffin of Penn Yan, NY; as well as many nephews and their families; and her numerous friends. She will be deeply missed by her family and friends, who all thought her strong wil would carry her well past 100 yrs, making 98yrs seem like not nearly enough.

Her memorial will be held October 16th at 10am, at St. Mary Catholic Church 14711 Ranch Rd 12, Wimberley, TX 78676. Donations in her memory may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital or St. Mary Catholic Church.