Judith I. Tripp, a retired editor who was a runner and walker and a board member of the Howard County Striders organization, died of melanoma Sept. 16 at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Columbia.
The Columbia resident died five days by before her 74th birthday.
"Judy was very straightforward and not a huggy-kissy person," said Carole L. Ross, a Columbia resident and the former owner and publisher of The Business Monthly. "She was just a fantastic editor. She crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's."
"We've been friends for more than 30 years, and she was one classy lady," said Nadia Wasserman of Columbia. "She was a very outgoing person and always knew how to say the right thing, and how to deal with people."
The daughter of Harry Ireland, an advertising executive, and Helen Ireland, a homemaker, Judith Jeffers Ireland was born in Port Chester, N.Y., and raised in Rye, N.Y. She graduated in 1960 from Rye Country Day School.
After graduating in 1964 with a bachelor's degree in English from Connecticut College, she began her career as an editor working for McGraw-Hill in New York City.
In 1965, she began editing the magazine of the American Museum of Natural History and, two years later, joined the editorial staff of the National Audubon Society's magazine.
She married David L. Tripp in 1967, and the couple left Manhattan and moved to Columbia in 1969. Her husband became an executive for the Rouse Co., which developed Columbia, while she joined the fledgling staff of the new Smithsonian Magazine that began publishing in 1970.
With the birth of her first son, Jason, in 1972, and a second son, Joshua, three years later, Ms. Tripp took a sabbatical from editing to become a stay-at-home mother while her children were in school.
She immersed herself in her sons' school and extracurricular activities, including stints as a Cub Scout den mother and volunteering her time at charity events.
At Oakland Mills High School, where both of her sons were runners, Ms. Tripp helped develop a program in which parents volunteered to work in the high school guidance office to provide resources for college-bound students.
Ms. Ross and her husband founded and published the first issue of The Business Monthly in 1993, and Ms. Tripp came to work for her soon afterward.
"I took a bundle of papers under each arm and went to the Columbia Hilton and passed them out in the lobby," Ms. Ross recalled of the early days of the publication. "This man came up to me and told me how much he loved it — and then the other shoe dropped. He told me we needed a better editor.
"He had redlined every single mistake and I wanted to drop through the floor and disappear forever. I mean, I just sold the ads," Ms. Ross said.
"I heard that Judy was a renowned expert and I hired her in 1993. She had a wonderful background," she said. "She was a perfectionist, always backed me up, and her work was on time and correct."
"Judy also assisted me with a lot of projects for the Rouse Co.," her husband said. "She edited annual reports, planned and executed board of directors' meetings and did other things."
Ms. Tripp retired in 2003.
She enjoyed exercising and running, and she and her husband were active members of the Howard County Striders, a running club. Ms. Tripp played an instrumental role in the growth of the group, editing its newsletter and handling public relations.
"I got to know Judy through Oakland Mills High School because our sons were students there, and I've been walking and exercising with her five days a week since 1988," said Karen K. Dye, a Columbia resident and a fellow member of the Striders.
"We stopped running and began walking about three miles a day so we could talk. We talked about our families, education and leisure," Ms. Dye said. "She was a well-informed person, and both generous and kind. She was a wonderful person.
"Judy and I both thought along the same lines. She could be a lot of fun, but she could also be serious. We had a very close relationship," she said.
"I was in many, many races with her, and she and Dave gave so much back to the running community," said Ms. Wasserman. "She did an incredible job with the Striders."
She and her husband also worked to engage young people in running.
"We started a Junior Striders program, and we have 270 kids registered for fall cross country events," Mr. Tripp said.
She was one of the first inductees into the Howard County Striders Hall of Fame, and was twice recognized nationally with Road Runners Club of America volunteer awards.
Ms. Tripp was an avid reader and enjoyed playing golf, going to the movies, and attending Broadway shows.
Plans for a celebration of Ms. Tripp's life, to be held this fall, are incomplete.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by her sons, Jason I. Tripp and Joshua K Tripp, both of Columbia; a brother, Peter Ireland of Burlington, Vt.; a sister, Penny Low of Riverside, Conn.; and five grandchildren.