Descendant on quest for ancestor’s artwork

“If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 Editor and Publisher / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com

Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com

News Editor / Annabelle Sikes, asikes@OrangeObserver.com

Community Editor / Amy Quesinberry, amyq@OrangeObserver.com

Staff Writer / Andrea Mujica, amujica@OrangeObserver.com

Sales Manager / Cyndi Gustafson, advertising@OrangeObserver.com

Multimedia Advertising Executive / Iggy Collazo, iggy@OrangeObserver.com

Graphic Designer / Andrea Rukstalis, arukstalis@OrangeObserver.com

Advertising Operations Manager / Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com

Contact

US

The West Orange Times West Orange Times & Observer and Southwest Orange Observer are published once weekly, on Thursdays. The papers can be found in many commercial locations throughout West Orange and Southwest Orange.

If you wish to subscribe, visit our website, OrangeObserver.com, call (407) 656-2121 or visit our office, 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Suite 180, Winter Garden.

To Advertise

For display or digital advertising, call (407) 656-2121.

For Classifieds, call (407) 656-2121.

Send Us Your News

We want to hear from you. Let us know about your events, celebrations and achievements.

To contact us, email to Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com.

Statement Of Ownership

Amy Quesinberry Community Editor

Andrew Kamban never met his great-great-aunt, but he feels a connection to her and her artwork and is on a search to find as many of her paintings as he can.

Lena Rippel moved to Second Avenue in Windermere in 1946 and lived there until her death in 1985 at age 95. She was a successful banker and financial adviser, Kamban said, and she had a passion for painting. He owns a few of her watercolors and knows there probably are many more out there.

His desire to discover more about his ancestor was sparked when relatives were searching for artwork by C.J. Brobst, Kamban’s great-grandfather, who made his living as an artist. Family members found several of his pieces for sale at flea markets and purchased any they found.

Kamban, a New Philadelphia, Ohio, resident, is interested in genealogy and discovered the family had more than one talented artist. Once he started finding relatives in his family tree, he started asking about Rippel’s work and learned several people in California had some of her art.

He has photographs of all the pieces he has located, and he has a few of the actual paintings.

“My grandpa had two of Lena’s paintings, and a cousin of his gave me a piece a few years ago,” Kamban said. “I visited them in Florida; they had a watercolor she did.”

One of them is a winter scene with an interesting story behind it. Kamban said Rippel went on a snowskiing trip with friends and to commemorate the vacation she gave each of her travel companions a painting of the lodge. Kamban now owns one of the lodge scenes plus one other Rippel piece.

“I think Lena did it mostly as gifts for people,” he said. “She didn’t charge for them.”

He said Rippel painted until she was in her 70s, and there could be hundreds of them out there. She specialized in landscape scenes but painted at least one featuring three horses. A cousin in Oregon owns that piece.

He’s also curious about a poster he saw that was printed from a painting with the signature Bessie Rippel.

“There are no Bessies in our family line, but her middle name was Elizabeth,” Kamban said. “It looks like her work. I sent it to a cousin of mine, and he agreed, but we can’t verify it. It looks like her signature, and it’s dated the way she dated them. Maybe she went by her middle name for a bit. She was interesting.”

Kamban discovered recently another relative with the artistic gene when he found two paintings by William Rippel, one of Lena Rippel’s nephews.

LIFE IN WINDERMERE

Kamban said his great-great-aunt was quite a trailblazer for her time. She and her partner, Helen Lepole, moved to Windermere in 1946 and built their own ranch house with an above-garage apartment at 508 Second Ave.

The two were together for about 40 years before Lepole died in 1966.

“She was probably a little rough, masculine maybe,” Kamban said. “There’s a picture of her mowing her yard, and she’s dressed like a man. (Community members) really liked her. They liked her and accepted her.”

In fact, everyone loved Rippel, he said.

“She was adored by her family and was a wonderful aunt and great-aunt to many cousins,” he said.

Kamban is learning more about his great-great-aunt as he connects with relatives, and he is eager to hear other stories as additional artwork is discovered.

“I have a passion for genealogy and a passion for artwork, and I want to keep the family history available for those (who) are interested,” Kamban said.

CAN YOU HELP?

If anyone has or comes across a Lena Rippel painting, Kamban would love to connect with them and get a photograph of the artwork. He can be reached at (330) 407-3043.

“I’m certain some of her artwork is still out there,” he said.

Public Notices

The West Orange Times meets the legal requirements to publish legal and public notices in Orange County per F.S. 50.011

USPS Periodicals Permit (USPS# 687-120)

West Orange Times

The West Orange Times (USPS 687120) is published weekly for $40 per year ($50 outside of Orange County) by the Observer Media Group, 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Winter Garden, Florida, 34787. Periodical postage paid at Winter Garden, Florida. POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to the (name of pub; i.e., West Orange Times, West Orange Times & Observer or Southwest Orange Observer), Observer Media Group, P.O. Box 135, Lincolnshire, Illinois 60069-0135.

Observer Media Group Inc. is locally owned. Publisher of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota Observer, Siesta Key Observer, Palm Coast Observer, Ormond Beach Observer, West Orange Times & Observer, Southwest Orange Observer, Business Observer, Jacksonville Daily Record, Jacksonville Record & Observer, LWR Life Magazine, Baldwin Park Living Magazine and Season Magazine

Founding Editor and CEO / Matt Walsh President / Emily Walsh

Vice President / Lisa Walsh Chairman Emeritus / David Beliles 1970 Main St. Third Floor Sarasota, FL 34236 941-366-3468

In Other Business

n Commissioners adopted a resolution that imposes a revised residential solid waste collection and recycling service charge of $17.45 per customer per month. This marks a 50cent increase in the residential rate. This amount covers the $17 cost from the service provider and includes an additional 45 cents to cover the town’s administrative overhead costs. The search for a new provider will begin by July 1, 2024; the contract ends January 2025.

“I know people get frustrated sometimes with the speed, or you don’t get it collected the day you’re supposed to,” Mayor Kathy Stark said. “The (solid waste) committee looked at our options a few years ago, and it was not economic to move off the contract at this time. Our fees would have gone way, way up with anyone we would be using. So, the committee made a recommendation that we stay with the current contract we have until it expires. … While we’re going up, I just want people to understand we’re trying to maintain … and keep the service acceptable, but it’s not perfect and we try to work with that as much as we can.” n The commission approved the consent agenda, which included an easement acceptance for Duke Energy to construct electric facilities on town-owned property along Catherine Ross Road. Typically, Duke Energy utilizes existing rights-of-way, but they do not yet exist so the facilities will be constructed over the townowned properties that eventually will become the Catherine Ross right-of-way, Public Works director Mike Parker explained. The easement will be 10 feet wide and about 350 feet long. n Koontz announced about 2,500 people attended the Jan. 28 Oakland Heritage Day.