Wilfrieda Westby Donaghy1

(8 June 1928 - 20 January 2023)
     Wilfrieda Westby Donaghy was known as Fifi.2 She was born on June 8, 1928 in New Bedford, Bristol County, Massachusetts,1,3, the daughter of Wilfrieda Westby & James King Donaghy.1
     Wilfrieda married Clem Trippe Slade, son of James Clem Slade Jr. and Estelle Trippe, on April 7, 1956 in Alexandria, Fairfax County, Virginia.2 Wilfrieda died on January 20, 2023 in Sandy Springs, Fulton Co., Georgia, at age 94.3 She was buried in Arlington Memorial Park, Sandy Springs, Fulton Co., Georgia.3 Her obituary read as follows:

      SLADE, Wilfrieda (Fifi) Westby Donaghy

Wilfrieda (Fifi) Westby Donaghy Slade died of natural causes on January 20, 2023, surrounded by her children at home in Sandy Springs, GA. She was born June 8, 1928 in New Bedford, MA to James King Donaghy and Wilfrieda Westby.

Fifi graduated from St. Vincent Hospital School of Nursing in NYC. She proudly served as an Army Nurse from 1951-1956, including a tour in Heidelberg, Germany, and in Hawaii where she nursed soldiers injured during the Korean War.

Clem Trippe (Trippe) Slade and Fifi married April 7, 1956, and were happily married (54 yrs) until his 2009 passing. She is survived by their children: Claudia Madigan (Scott), Mary Trippe Everett (Jim), Westby Slade (Patti Westermann), Collier Slade (Teka Drehmer), ten grandchildren, and ten and a half great-grandchildren.

Fifi leaves a tangible legacy through her volunteer work as a founding member of St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church and St. Andrew Catholic Church. She set an enduring example of Catholic faith in action and how to age with dignity through a genuine love of others and thirst for knowledge. She was a lifelong learner with an insatiable appetite for reading; was an avid sports fan, enjoying the Atlanta Braves and other sports telecasts; and a fierce competitor both on the tennis court at Cherokee Town & Country Club and when cheering on her family during sports competitions.

Fifi's signature look (and voice) - her striking gray hair neatly tucked under a hair clip, black/white/red attire, armful of silver jewelry, and the elegant way she carried herself, turned heads, but she was most known for being a loving wife, mother, friend, confidante, and passionate "life cheerleader" for family and friends.

Full of life and laughter, Fifi was entertaining friends and family at the family home of 59 years until her final days. Fifi's passing has left a hole in our hearts but we are confident that a heavenly celebration is going strong!

Funeral Mass at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church, February 7, 2023, 10 AM, followed by interment with military honors at Arlington Memorial Park, 201 Mt Vernon Hwy. NW, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. Reception to follow.3

Children of Wilfrieda Westby Donaghy and Clem Trippe Slade

  • Claudia Slade 2
  • Mary Trippe Slade 2
  • James Westby Slade 2
  • Collier Slade 2

Citations

  1. [S2707] Virginia Marriage Records, 1936-2014, Ancestry.com, Clem Trippe Slade & Wilfrieda Westby Donaghy, d/o Wilfrieda Westby & James King Donaghy.
  2. [S8] Obituary, , C. Trippe Slade, published Sunday, Jan 4, 2009 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (GA).
  3. [S8] Obituary, Wlfrieda Slade, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 6 Feb 2023
    https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/atlanta/name/…