TRIPANIER, ROBERT A.

Robert A. Tripanier, 66, president of the National Association of Letter Carriers Union Branch 9 from 1973 to 1977, died of respiratory failure Sunday [July 26, 1992] at Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina.

Tripanier, of Richfield, worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 30 years, mostly at the Richfield branch post office.

He was born in Minneapolis and attended De La Salle and Central High Schools. He quit school when he was 17 (later earning a general equivalency degree) and joined the Marine Corps.

He served in the Marine Raiders [4th Battalion] in the South Pacific from 1943 to 1945 and was wounded in action in 1944.

He worked for the post office from 1949 until he retired in 1979.

He was elected president of the union in 1973 and served two two-year terms. He represented letter carriers in the Twin Cities in contract negotiations, grievances and disciplinary actions.

“He was a very hands-on person and got right in there and did the job,” said his son Robert Jr. of Bloomington.

Tripanier was a founder of the Richfield Youth Football League. He coached youngsters in the league at St. Peter’s Catholic School from 1957 to 1962; at St. Helena’s parish in Minneapolis from 1963 to 1967, and again at St. Peter’s from 1968 to 1969.

He was a life member of Fred Babcock Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5555 and was post commander in 1980-81. He was a member of the Military Order of Cooties and was its seam squirrel (commander) in 1983-84.

He was state commander of the Order of the Cooties in 1989-90 and was chairman of the committee at the time of his death.

He organized Cooties conventions and served on the United Vets Legislative Council.

He helped the group raise money to buy vans to transport patients at the Minneapolis Veterans Medical Center.

He was also active in the Marine Raider Association and was elected president for 1992-1993 last week.

Besides his son Robert, he is survived by another son, William, of Richfield; daughters, Renee Roquette, of Eden Prairie, and Monique Sparrow, of Minneapolis, and five grandchildren. His longtime companion was Patricia Brekke, of Richfield.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 67th St. and Nicollet Ave. S., Richfield. Visitation will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Morris Nilsen Funeral Chapel, 6527 Portland Ave. S., Richfield.