Jeannette (Russell) (Gaffney) Ripley , longtime St. Johnsbury resident of North Avenue, died at home Friday morning, Aug. 19, 2005, at the age of 99. Born in St. Johnsbury on March 12, 1906, she was one of six children born to Perley and Maude (Smith) Russell. She was married to Arthur Ripley who passed away in 1975. Jean was honored last year as the oldest living member of the South Congregational Church and was a very active member of the church. A 1923 graduate of St. Johnsbury Academy, she was pleased to attend her 80th reunion in 2003. In her working years she was a bank teller and cashier at the Merchants National Bank. She is survived by her two daughters: Marjorie Gaffney Kilgus ,of Goffstown, N.H. (259 Donald Drive 03405), Phyllis (Gaffney) Smart and husband William of St. Johnsbury who now live in the family home (248 North Ave. 05819); five grandchildren: Michael Smart of St. Johnsbury, Timothy Smart of Birchrunville, Pa., Susan Ferguson, husband George and family of Blue Springs, Mo., Shelley Smart of Alexandria, Va., and Stephanie Smart of Falls Church, Va.; three great-grandchildren; one brother: Raymond Russell and his wife Evelyn of Lyndonville; nieces and nephews; four stepchildren and their families: George M. Kilgus of Manchester, N.H., Susan Kilgus of Boscowan, N.H., Juliette Dunkelberger of Issaquah, Wash., Rebecca Kent of Seattle, Wash. She was predeceased by two brothers, Reginald and Hazen Russell, and by two sisters, Dorothy Dawson and Marion Sparrow. A gathering of friends and family will be held at the Sayles Funeral Home Saturday, Aug. 27, 2-4 p.m. Family committal services will follow at the Grove Cemetery in East St. Johnsbury. Memorial contributions, marked for "Hospice," could be directed to Caledonia Home Health Care, P.O. Box 383, St. Johnsbury VT 05819.