Mark Allan Tripp, 63, passed away on June 19, 2026 surrounded by his family after a long battle with cancer.
Mark was born in Great Falls on Nov. 13, 1962 along with his twin sister Barb. The twins joined their sister Kathy and together with their dad they made a happy family of four.

Mark lived in Great Falls until he was 11 years old before the family moved and made their home in Butte. Mark participated in track and football at East Junior High School, but his passion was shop and cars. Mark went to work for his dad at Champion Auto where he managed the Butte store for about 15 years. There he learned just about everything to know about working on a car. He built some beautiful muscle cars over the years and even a few race cars for both himself and his wife Laurie. They both, along with sister Kathy, raced at Lost Creek Raceway for almost a decade.

Mark decided it was time for a career change and decided to become a carpenter. He did his apprenticeship working for Jay Fortune Construction and worked with his brothers-in-law Jay and Joe for many years. He then opened his own company, Affordable Builders and later Mark Tripp Construction. He had such a passion for building homes. He and his employee of more than 20 years, Damon Drakos, probably built more than 50 homes between Butte and Georgetown.

Mark met Laurie Parsons in 1980, and the couple married in 1983. Together they had two children, Kalee and Cole and their family was complete.
Mark so loved fishing and hunting, but that didn't hold a candle to watching his kids grow into the most amazing people he could have ever hoped for. You would always see Mark at a wrestling event, football game or the bowling alley, but he most loved chasing them both around a motorcross track. He was so proud of them both, especially watching Kalee crossing the stage at Boise State University and later watching her get her master's degree at Grand Canyon University. He was also so proud of Cole throughout his football and wrestling years in high school, but he was most proud when he completed his apprenticeship in electric metering for Northwestern Energy.

Cole married Shelby Shaw in 2019. Together they have given us the most amazing grandsons, Wiley and Coy, both of whom were the apple of Mark's eye. Mark enjoyed our Sunday dinners and watching his grandsons play monster trucks and nerf guns, but his ultimate joy was to take them camping.

Mark was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Tripp; his grandparents, Myrl and Wayne Tripp; his mother and father-in-law, Grant and Barbara Parsons; his uncle, Bob, and cousin, Steve Tripp; and his very best friend, Dave Serich.

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Mark is survived by his wife Laurie; his children, Kalee and Cole Tripp; his daughter-in-law, Shelby; and grandsons, Wiley and Coy Tripp. He is also survived by his sisters, Kathy Garret and Barb Shane, both of Idaho and their families, Alysia Sorich (Ryan) and family, Lee Garret (Michelle) and family; his sister and brother-in-law, Kim and Joe Fortune and their families, Shana Edlen (Lee), Shelby Gramlich (Garret) and their family; his brother and sister-in-law, Grant and Rhea Parsons of Cheyenne, Wyoming and their family, Jordan, Marley, Josh (Hailey) and Jayden Parsons. Mark is also survived by his very special aunt, Marcia Tripp of Helena and his cousins, Wayne and Debbie Tripp of Alabama, Lisa Marie Alford and her family of North Carolina and Robert and Jessica Woods and family of Alabama. He is also survived by his extended family, Scott and Lisa Rakich and family, Cookie LaRusso, and Jay and Keli Fortune and family; along with friends too numerous to mention.

A service and reception will be held in Mark's memory at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 29, at the Butte Copper King Convention Center.