William "Tripp" Eugene Sears' Obituary
William, known by his nickname “Tripp” passed away on January 15th, 2025 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. He was born in Iowa in 1948 to his parents, Clifford and Grace. He was raised with his 3 siblings and graduated high school in Iowa. After high school, he went on to join the military. He first served in the Navy before finishing his military career in the Army. He served one tour in Vietnam, where he was awarded the Silver Service Star, Bronze Star, and multiple other awards. Tripp was medically discharged and spent the rest of his career in construction, serving as a licensed home builder. In 1988, he married the love of his life, Pat. They made their home in Alma, Arkansas where they raised their family including two children, Colin and Caitlyn, and two step children, Philip and Kristina.
Tripp’s hobbies included woodworking, drinking coffee at any time of day, playing with his dogs, being outside surrounded with the openness and driving tractors. He was an avid scuba diver and passed on his sense of adventure to his wife and children with them all becoming scuba certified. Tripp was a past officer and lifelong member of the Disabled American Veterans. In his final decade of life, he became a grandfather which gave him much joy.
Tripp is survived by his wife of 36 years, Patricia Sears of Alma, Arkansas. Son, Colin (Whitney) of Alma, Arkansas. Daughter, Caitlyn of Tacoma, Washington. Step-son, Philip Root (Rebecca) of Boca Raton, FL. Step-daughter, Kristina Root Carrazana (Enrique) of Marianna, Arkansas. He leaves behind 3 grandsons, Julian, Alex, and Javier. Also, by his two dogs, JoJo, his yellow lab of 11 years, and Zoey, his Irish Setter.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
A memorial service will be held at a later date at the Fayetteville National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Disabled American Veterans (DAV) 12912 Tuscany St., Fort Smith, AR 72916 or make online gifts in memory of William Sears to the Lewy Body Dementia Association via https://www.lbda.org/donate/. The family would like to thank the Arkansas State Veterans Home for their exceptional care during the last part of Tripp’s life.
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