Date : 01 Aug 1955
Location : Riverview Cemetery, Algona, IA
Memorial services for Mrs. F. L. (Vallie Mae) Tribon were conducted Monday at 10 a.m. in the First Methodist church by the Revs. H. E. Whyte, Algona, and Earl Burgess of Sac City. Mrs. Tribon who was 80 years old July 21, died at her home Friday evening about 9:30 after an illness of several weeks. Except for brief vacations, she had resided in her beloved Algona since May 26, 1898, and was actively interested in all community affairs.
Assisting with the service were C. B. Murtagh and H. W. Miller cooperating with the McCullough Mortuary. Soloist was Mrs. Wesley Bartlett. Background music of favorite old hymns was presented by Darlene Skogstrom, church organist.
Pallbearers were T. H. Chrischilles, W. A. Foster, A. V. Spongberg, Wes Bartlett, Alvin Weber, Homer Tuttle and Roy Bjustrom; and B. A. Thorpe, and Henry Johannsen, were ushers.
Interment was in the family plot in the original Algona cemetery.
Mrs. Tribon is survived by two daughters, Gladys, Mrs, Otis Paddock, of Phoenix, Ariz.; Dorothy, Mrs. Herman Leeftink, of Mountain, Wis.; a son, Donald; a son-in-law, L. L. Bleakly, of Glendive, Mont. Grandchildren are Patricia Ruth Paddock, senior journalism student in Arizona State college at Tempe; Ruth Ann Leeftink, a physical education teacher in Elkhorn, Wis.; Vallie M. Leeftink, who will be a sophomore in the state teachers college at Oshkosh, Wis.; Janna will be a senior and Gerritt, a freshman, in the Suring, Wis. high school next fall.
Richard Bleakly is an engineer for the Public Service company in Des Moines; Robert Bleakly, assistant manager for the Kresge company in Chicago; and Tom Bleakly, an athletic coach in Joplin, Mont. The three great-grandchildren are Jeffrey and David Bleakly, of Des Moines, and Barbara Bleakly, of Chicago.
Also surviving are sisters Mrs. Mabel (Clarence) Maxwell, of Eagle Grove; Mrs. Winnie (Harry) Duryee, of Mclntyre; and brother, Glenn F. Frost, of Lemon Grove, Calif.; and many nieces and nephews, including Harold Lampright and Russell Maxwell.
Mrs. Vallie Trlbon was the eldest of eight children of Mr. and Mrs. F .A. M. Frost, and was born July 21, 1875, in Mt. Auburn, lowa. Her father was a telegrapher and agent for the railroads of Iowa, Minnesota and later South Dakota. The family lived for many years upstairs over the depot.
Salaries were small but coal and other necessary household commodities were salvaged from damaged cars. She learned to sew from necessity to help fasion family underwear from flour sacks. Laughingly she remarked that "Maybe thats the reason I like nice fabrics." She had so much responsibility that the younger members of the family regarded her more as a second mother.
Schooling was secured whereever the family happened to be. By working as a milliner in Manchester, Iowa, she was able to go to the university of Iowa. "I've always sincerely believed that if you wanted anything badly enough, and worked hard enough, anything, was possible. But with the little I had it was one thing I just couldn't finish," she said not too long ago when trying to convince a daughter that some special musical training was necessary for one of her granddaughters.
While at SUI she met Franie (Frank) L. Tribon, of Dunkerton, who was a student in the homopathic department of the college of medicine. They were married in a formal wedding in the yard of the Frost home at West Bend.
She was immediately initiated into the more trying phase of being wife of a pioneer Iowa doctor. She recalls that they were nicely established in a room at the Algona hotel, on their wedding night when her husband was called to deliver a child for his sister, Mrs. Mary Lampright. So began the years of interrupted meals and rest which were so much a pattern of those early days.
The lot for the family home was purchased for $900 in 1897 end plans for the dwelling were drawn by a southern architect who planned the large rooms with many wide windows. The house was wired for electricity. Featured were sliding doors making it possible to close certain sections for privacy or to conserve heat. There were the large Halcyon club dinners held.
There were birds in the south room upstairs, and two weddings. One of the twins, Isabel, a sister of the late Ruth Tribon Bleakly, died when she was only a few days old. A sister, Norma Frost Regan, died after giving birth to a daughter, Norma Ruth (Mrs. W. A. McKinley.)
A brother, Gernard Frost, was a victim of the flu epiademic in 1918. A daughter, Ruth, was nursed for many weeks during her last illness between the windows in the living room. The Grandparents Frost had simple memorial services in the home.
Dr. Tribon was in poor health for several years before his death May 24, 1948, just a few days before the golden wedding date. The house was one of Mrs. Tribon's dearest possessions.
The first Sunday after her marriage Mrs. Tribon joined the Methodist church here and had been an active member until the past five years when she had been confined to her wheel chair. She served in nearly all of the official capacities to which lay leaders are elected or appointed. She enjoyed being superintendent of the Sunday school. A special was the Home Builders Class of then young married couples of whom she was the teacher. She was presented an honorary membership pin after 50 years.
Mrs. Tribon made spectacular successes of church rummage sales and other money-making projects. A county official once asked if she would conduct a sale to dispose of effects of a household, and so was born the new selling business which won her fame far beyond the borders of her town.
The sales attracted huge gatherings and she sold "everything from moth-eaten men's underwear for wipe rags to rare antique walnut and priceless old china." Attractive offers to conduct sales came from as far as Chicago. Most of her sales were conducted in the Algona area.
When 72 a recurrence of a rare type of dermatitis and a heart attack caused announcement that Mrs. Harold Lampright, a niece, would take over the sales business.
She had also sold for the Chrischilles store starting the basement sales to get rid of merchandise "pups." For several seasons she also worked with the Christensons.
She spent a winter with the Paddocks in Arizona with old friends, the Charlie Palmers, in southern California. The following year she returned to Phoenix with her nephew, Russell Maxwell, for a months stay.
On the return trip Feb. 15, 1949, just out of Wichita, Kans., because of icy pavements, she was injured in a collision. Mrs. Tribon was riding in the "suicide seat" and was so badly injured that little or no hope was entertained for her recovery. Russell Maxwell, the driver, suffered severe chest injuries but was able to be home in a few weeks.
For Mrs. Tribon it was the beginning of years of painful adjustment to beds and wheel chairs of an invalid. Famous doctors said that injuries were more than any other recorded for an individual of the same age. There were many months in the tiring, sometimes painful experience of having both limbs suspended by traction equipment.
It was rough when the first day out of traction one leg was dropped and the bone snapped. Then came a full body cast in August so that she could be moved to Phoenix.
The second summer away she yearned more and more for her home in Algona. The month vacation had turned into years and business matters urgently needed attention. In August she came back to the Thorington street house and began what she recently termed "the happiest years of my whole life." A large portion of Algona literally adopted her. With her companion, Mrs. Martha Rammer, she led a happy life taking time out for hospital stays necessitated by recuring infections.
A serious kidney infection developed June 15 from which she never recovered. She was in St. Ann hospital for treatment two week. Even in her weakened condition she was so pleased to be returned to her own home two weeks before her death.
The weekend of July 9 members of her family came to Algona. Included were Mr. and
Mrs. Glenn F. Frost, of Lemon Grove,. Calif:; Mrs. Harry Duryee, of Mclntyre; Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Maxwell, of Eagle Grove; Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Bleakly and sons, Des Moines; L. L. Bleakly, of Glendive, Mont.; Otis Paddock of Phoenix, Ariz.; and Mrs. Herman Leeftink, of Mountain, Wis.
Characteristic were the carefully prepared plans for her last service. "I've had the love and countless gifts and kindnesses of so many friends for all these years. If people feel they must do something use the memorial gifts to get something the people at the Friendship Haven (A home for the aged in Fort Dodge, Iowa) can enjoy."
She also made plans for the fine wheel chair, gift of neighbors and friends; the hoist by which she was moved from bed to wheel chair and back, and other special sickroom equipment to be turned over to the church and to be loaned to any one who needed it. Mesdames B. A Thorpe, John McGuire and Jake Godden were named a committee in charge of arrangements. The polio hoist was given to her by the children of the intermediate department of the Sunday school.
(The foregoing obituary was written by Gladys Tribon Paddock, one-time reporter for the Advance.)
Kossuth County Advance - Aug 2, 1955