Martha Christina (Wiley) Tripp was born on February 26, 1931, in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan, Canada. She was the youngest of eight children. When she was ten years old, her family moved to Warrenton, Oregon. Two weeks after graduation from Warrenton High School, she met and married Layton Tripp. In 1959, Martha and Layton moved from Kinzua, Oregon, to Deer Park, Washington, where they raised their three children.