Larry Lipp

Larry Lipp, 72, of Mandan, passed away unexpectedly on March 31, 2024, at Abbott Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, MN.

Mass of Christian burial will be held at 1 PM on Friday, April 12, 2024, at Spirit of Life Catholic Church, Mandan, with Fr. Keith Streifel celebrating. Private family interment will be at the North Dakota Veterans Cemetery at a later date. 

A Parish Vigil will be held at 6 PM on Thursday, April 11, 2024, at Buehler-Larson Funeral Home, Mandan. 

Larry was born June 19, 1951, the youngest of 13 children to Michael and Maggie (Bosch) Lipp.  He spent his childhood on the family farm near Wakpala, South Dakota.  It was during these years that he developed a strong work ethic and love of family.  Larry was a graduate of Mobridge High School and was known as a great athlete and a state champion wrestler.  He also enjoyed rodeos and competing in bull riding.  After completing a year of college, his country called on him and Larry served in the US Army, being stationed in Germany and was later honorably discharged.

Larry devoted his life to helping others.  Throughout the years, he was a fireman, owned his own ambulance service, and spent decades bettering the lives of people with developmental disabilities.  He was a strong advocate for the underdog and had great compassion for those in need.

First and foremost, he was a dedicated family man.  Larry met his wife, Kelly, while they were both working at Enable Inc.  They quickly realized that they were soul mates and were married on February 14, 1998.  With this union, he gained his sons, Kale and Konnor, who he loved and raised as his own in addition to his daughter, Crystal and son, Jeff.  A year later his family was complete with the birth of their son, Jared.

Larry devoted his whole life to his family.  He worked overnight shifts, often working two jobs without a day off.  Since he worked while his family slept, he was able to sleep during the day and wake up in time to greet his kids on their arrival home from school with a home cooked meal. He attended their school activities and cheered for baseball, basketball, wrestling, and taekwondo competitions.  Because he lost his own father at a young age it was important to him to be present for all 5 of his children in any way possible.

Larry had a great sense of humor, dry wit, and a gift for telling it like it is.  He was a self-taught man who became a Jack of all trades.  He could build or fix just about anything and was equally skilled in cooking and caretaking.

Larry was an avid fan of the Green Bay Packers, NDSU Bison, and Mandan Braves.  He enjoyed watching sports, spending time with his family, and staying physically fit.   A week before his death he was completing 120 pushups a day.

Larry “retired” a few years ago, but in his words “retirement is busier than working.”  He took special interest in helping his youngest son, Jared, with landscaping and home improvement projects.  Their houses were sided by side and they would plan and dream about future projects to complete. He was also a devoted husband and took special care to have a delicious meal waiting for Kelly upon her arrival home from work.  They enjoyed their evenings together, visiting about anything and everything. There truly was magic in ordinary days.   

On March 28^th, Larry had an unexpected cardiac arrest while at a medical appointment.  The emergency room and ICU staff was able to administer lifesaving interventions, working tirelessly to stabilize him. A flight team also gave their all to help ensure he could be safely transported to Abbott Northwestern in Minneapolis for more skilled cardiac care.

We are forever grateful to the advanced cardiac care team at Abbott Northwestern who stabilized Larry and gave us 2 extra days with him.  He enjoyed spending quality time with his family, joking and bantering with his sons, wife, and medical staff.  He was his lovable self and reassured his family with great optimism that his upcoming procedure would be just what he needed and we’d all be going home together soon.  A few hours before this procedure he had a heart attack in his sleep, despite every effort possible, his medical team could not save him this time and he was called to his heavenly home in the early hour of Easter morning.  A special thank you to Dr. Zimbwa, Dr. Campbell, and his ICU nurse, Frannie, as well as all the other medical staff at Abbott North Western who greeted us with expertise, hope, and compassion. 

True to his giving nature, Larry had signed to be an organ donor.   We take solace in this in the knowledge that part of him continues to live through the gift of life in others. 

Larry will be sorely missed by his wife, Kelly, of Mandan; his children, Crystal (Andrew) Tait and their children, Sebastian and Charlotte of Portsmouth, England, Jeff Lipp of Mandan, Kale (Alex) Peterson and their children, Wylee and Josie of Mapleton, ND, Konnor Peterson, and Jared Lipp both of Mandan; siblings, Sandi, Donny, John, Betty, Susie, and Albert.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents and siblings, Louie, Annie, Bud, Geraldine, Alice, and Bob.