Mary Jane Ripkowski

Mary Jane Hartel Ripkowski passed away peacefully on March 14, 2026 at the age of 98. She lived her entire life in Liberty County, where she touched the lives of countless residents as a teacher, drill team sponsor, drivers education instructor, volleyball and track coach, and devoted family matriarch.

Mrs. Ripkowski left this world surrounded by family in her home of 63 years, on the same block where she lived for 90 of her 98 years, in the town she could never leave. Widely known in Liberty as “Mrs. Rip,” she was called Janie by friends and family, but the name she wore most proudly was “MeMe,” given to her by her many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and the countless nieces and nephews she cherished.

Born on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1927, in Hull, Texas, Janie was the oldest child of Arthur John “Artie” Hartel, Jr., a respected country banker, and Blanche Riviere Hartel, a school teacher, community volunteer, and accomplished musician. After her family moved to Liberty in 1939, she graduated from Sam Houston State Teachers College in 1949 and returned home. She worked alongside her father at First Liberty National Bank for seven years before beginning her long career in education in 1970. A devout Catholic who never missed Mass, Janie lived by quiet principles, never drinking, smoking, or cursing, and found simple joys in riding her bicycle well into her nineties and gathering loved ones each fall for Thanksgiving.

In 1954, Janie married the love of her life, Herman Ripkowski. Their marriage lasted 53 years until his death in 2008. Together they built a home next door to her childhood house, creating the beloved “Rip Root Hartel” family compound with her siblings Joe Ann Hartel Root and A.J. “Jack” Hartel III. There, eleven first cousins grew up as brothers and sisters, sharing unlocked doors, Sunday dinners, holidays, and the enduring tradition of the “Hook ’em” family photo. Janie taught her children and extended family how to ride bikes, drive cars, and navigate life with steady love and reliability. She often said she had lived the perfect life, one filled with family and love, and she remained the warm, principled heart of that home until the end.