Community Corner

Behind The Names: Vincent Tripi

Dedicated father created a tight knit family that settled in Holbrook, volunteer at Sachem Public Library

In our inaugural installment of "Behind The Names," we look at Vincent Tripi, whose family dedicated a memorial brick at the Sachem Public Library in his honor. Tripi's family moved to Holbrook in the 1980s and his surviving wife, Libby volunteers her time at the library.

Tripi was born on January 2, 1942, according to his daughter, Danielle Tripi-Strebel, in East Harlem to an Italian-American family. Brought up in East Harlem, he met his wife, Libby Freselone, and married her in April of 1963. While living in New York, Tripi and his wife had their first two children, sons: Eugene and Sal. Seeking a more suburban life, Tripi moved his family out to Long Island, and settled in Brentwood, where he and Libby gave birth to Danielle and her sister Nicole Tripi-Armenia. 

Tripi maintained his job at the Department of Environmental Patrol in New York while living in Suffolk County. 

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"He was an amazing Dad!" states Danielle Tripi-Strebel in an email. "He was a dedicated and hard working man who provided a great home to his family and much love to everyone he knew. Those who new him called him Jimmy (it's an Italian thing from what I am told) and everyone that met him loved him."

Sadly, Tripi was diagnosed with cancer, a disease that claimed his life in 1984. He was 42 years old. Tripi-Strebel was only 10 years old at the time.

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"Every day of his life, even when he was sick he always mustered up enough strength to never let us see him sick or hurting," she stated. "He always made us laugh and smile . He was a proud man and I am proud to call him my Dad."

Among Tripi's hobbies, his daughter includes "being with his family first and foremost," and watching football on pasta Sunday with all of his children. Tripi also dabbled with the xylophone. 

"Him and my mom gave us a great home and a loving, secure, positive environment to grow up in," Tripi-Strebel recalls. "Our friends were always welcome in our home. It was always filled with love and laughter."

Shortly after Tripi's death, his younger son, Sal, moved to Holbrook. Eventually the entire family followed. Today, all four of his children and his wife live within a five-mile radius of one another. And the family has grown exponentially. Tripi has nine grandchildren.

"We are a close, tight family that loves spending a lot of time together," Tripi-Strebel says. "I feel this is all because of the family values my Dad and Mom instilled upon us all our lives."

Do you have a brick memorial dedicated at the Sachem Public Library? Is your loved one included in the photo gallery attached to this story? Email us at matthew.mcgevna@patch.com to give us the story Behind the Name. 


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