Alice M. Ripper

Mass of Christian Burial for Alice M. (Zalar) Ripper, 93, of Rockingham, PA, will be at 9:30 AM on Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, 37932 Euclid Avenue, Willoughby. The Rev. Timothy D. Kalista will officiate at the Mass.

Final resting place will be in All Souls Cemetery in Chardon Township following the Mass on Wednesday.

The family will receive friends from 6-8 PM on Tuesday, December 6, 2016 at Davis-Babcock Funeral Home, 4154 Clark Avenue, Willoughby.

Mrs. Ripper passed away on November 30, 2016 at 11:08 PM at Huntsville Hospital in Huntsville, Alabama.

Alice was born one of eight children on August 25, 1923 to Martin and Mary Zalar in a small coal mining town in Western Pennsylvania.

She survived diphtheria at an early age and grew up to be an avid jitterbug and polka dancer whose friends described her as full of vim, vigor, and vitality. Alice met and married a handsome soldier from World War II named Steve Ripper. They adopted two children, Marty and Mary Ann, and were lifelong partners until Steve died in 2010. Alice was a dedicated homemaker, exceptional cook, loving mother, and beloved grandmother.

Alice leaves behind her sister Paula; children, Marty and Mary Ann; grandchildren, Allegra, Evan, and Melissa and great-grandchildren, Mailee and Mike, Jr. Though she is no longer with us, she will be in our hearts always.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Steve; parents, Martin and Mary; brothers, Stan, Louie, William and Frankie; and, and sisters, Mary and Betty.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Heart Association to help fight the disease that plagued Alice throughout her later years.