On Wednesday, April 22, 2020, our loving father returned to the waiting arms of his eternal sweetheart.
Sitting beside him he would recall tales from his youth and time spent in Pegram. There was a pond near the old depot where he loved to swim, not being content to just swim he made a diving board by placing a piece of wood between the rocks on the shoreline. In the winter he waited for it to freeze over, so he could strap on his skates and sail away with a cool breeze on his face. He was mischievous and one time, as a joke, he moved the outhouse back from the pit, set it on fire just to watch the old man fall in it.
Dad talked about how his family would move up and down the railroad tracks from Kemmerer, WY to Las Vegas, NV living in section houses and box cars along the railroad wherever his Grandpa was able to find work. One year he attended 3 different schools. When he was in the 10th grade at a high school in Las Vegas, he had enough and quit school.
When his family returned to Salt Lake, he enlisted in the Marine Corps. He served honorably in the Pacific theater in Green Island, Philippines, and in China.
Upon his return, he met a cute little girl around the corner who turned out to be the love of his life. They were married in May of 1947, soon afterwards a son joined the family, Lynn lived for just a brief time, their little family was completed with the arrival of Terry, Karen and Kathy.
Dad loved the out of doors, his work as a surveyor for both the UP Railroad and Utah Power and Light allowed him the freedom to be outside. When vacation time came, he could be found fly fishing with his dad and brothers, exploring Indian ruins in Mesa Verde, or the wonders of Yellowstone. He returned often to Fish Lake hoping to catch the big one. Perhaps the greatest pleasure he had was sitting round a campfire with family and roasting marshmallows.
After mom and dad retired, they were able to continue to explore the nation, journeying from the southern boarders of Arizona to the enteral sunshine of Alaska. Dad said they have traveled in every state west of the Mississippi. When they were not traveling, they served as camp hosts from the shores of Strawberry to top of the Uintah’s at Mirror Lake.
Dad’s hands were always busy. He learned to crochet from his mother and made afghans for not only every one of his grandchildren, but other family members and friends. One year for Christmas mom and dad made Christmas villages from plastic canvas for Terry, Kathy and Karen. As his eyesight failed, he turned to knitting hats on a round loom. He made 1000’s of hats that he shared with family, members of the assisted living center that was his home for the last 4 ½ years. His hats have been shared with the homeless shelters and veterans in the hospital.
Dad did not have many friends, he counted among them cousins Parley and Jean. They would often meet at the Eagles club and have a drink or two.
We wish to thank Cottonwood Creek Assisted Living Center and Elevation Hospice for the loving care they gave Dad in the last days of his life. We also thank the family members who sat with Dad keeping him company.
Dad leaves behind his children Terry and Sally Tippets, Karen and Don Hilton, Kathy and Ron Rees, little sister Darleen and brother Ralph.
A graveside service will be on Wednesday, April 29th at the Farmington City Cemetery under the direction of Larkin Mortuary. In lieu of flowers please share your memories of dad with his family.
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- Marine Corps
Cindy Lou Poliska
Another Marine reporting, Sir. I’ve served my time in hell. Lynn Mair Tippets, age 95, reported to his Father-in-Heaven on April 22, 2020. What is hell? Hell is when an avid outdoors man can no longer stand to be outside because his eye can’t take the sunlight. Hell is when that eye can’t see well enough to tie a fly on his line or well enough to wade a creek to find that elusive trout. Hell is having lost his one good eye in a car accident. Hell is when his knees have worn out and he can no longer hike the steep sides of Lamb’s canyon in search of a buck to feed his family. He hiked from Soda Springs, Idaho, to Vernal, Utah surveying power lines for Utah Power and Light. Hell is being alone because his beloved Dorothy has left him behind. He had no need to fear Hell. He was a good man who lived to serve others and was always willing to lend a helping hand, even to people he didn’t know. He knitted thousands of caps that were given to the homeless, friends, family, fellow nursing home residents and others with cold heads. He knitted afghans for all of his grandkids, whom he dearly loved. He dropped out of the eighth grade to join the Marine Corps at the age of 17. His lack of education never hurt him. He could do trigonometry well enough to calculate the curve of track for the Union Pacific Railroad or for his son’s Lionel train set. He took pride in his penmanship; his letters were always neatly printed and perfectly legible. Too bad he didn’t write much. He was a man of few words in print or over the phone, but in person, especially at a bar, or around a campfire, he loved to spin a tale. He gave up his drink and got religion relatively late in his life when he was sealed to Dorothy for time and all eternity. He is survived by his sister Darlene Howell and his brother Ralph Tippets and his children Terry L. Tippets, Karen Hilton, and Kathy Reese. We will miss him but we are grateful that his time in Hell is over.