Vallie Tribbett

Valentina (Vallie) Tribbett, 94, of Milwaukie, Oregon died peacefully on October 27th, 2020, from complications of Covid 19.

Vallie led an extraordinary life. She was born on July 8th, 1926 to Michailovna and Nadia Kopytina in Kiev, Ukraine. Vallie was a survivor of both Stalin’s starvation of his own people and Hitler’s Holocaust. She immigrated to the United States after the war. In Portland, Oregon, she met and married Dutch Blagg. Vallie trained to be a nurse and had a long career as a much-loved OBGYN nurse. She adopted three children, Jeff, Michael and Rene. In 1975 she divorced Dutch, and soon after met and married Jim Tribbett.

Vallie was an avid self taught painter; her home resembled an art gallery, filled with her work. She also loved classical music, flowers, and most of all children. Over her lifetime, she sent over 1,500 boxes of clothes, toys and food to a small village in Russia. The village built a church in her honor.

Her friends and family will miss her sparkling eyes, witty humor, and infectious laugh.

Vallie is survived by her daughter, Rene Collier, her grandsons, Michael and Steven Stone, her son Jeff Blagg, granddaughter Emily Blagg and grandson Lucas Blagg, and granddaughters Stacy, Stephanie and Brianna.

In lieu of flowers Vallie would rather you support a program that feeds the hungry.

The family wishes to thank the staff at Royalton Place, and the caregivers from Seasons Hospice who lovingly and compassionately cared for Vallie during the pandemic.

If you want to read more about Vallie and her times living under Stalin and Hitler read: Valentina Michailovna Kopytina by Glenda M. French available at Amazon books.

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