T. Richard Tippets

T. Richard Tippets of Bountiful, UT passed away in the early morning hours of October 28, 2018.  He was 74 years old.  At the time of his death, he was residing at Creekside Assisted Living.  Rich was born in Pocatello, ID on July 25, 1944 to Thero and Ruth Tippets.  He attended schools in Idaho Falls, ID and graduated in 1962 from Idaho Falls High School.  He attended Brigham Young University for a year prior to serving in the Brazil South Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Upon his return home in 1965 he continued his studies at BYU graduating soon thereafter with a bachelor’s degree in Political Science.  He married his high school sweetheart, Clare Ann Campbell on September 9, 1966 in the Idaho Falls Idaho Temple.

Rich returned to BYU for two additional years where he earned an MBA degree.  Upon graduation, he began his career in Portland, OR and then worked in Richland, WA for several years before moving to Centerville, UT with his family in 1982.  Rich and Clare then moved to Bountiful in 1997.  While living in Utah, Rich worked as a property manager for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 23 years.  A complex brain aneurysm and the required surgeries and treatments for this led Rich to take early retirement in the summer of 2005.  At that time, Clare also retired from being a full-time elementary school teacher to become Rich's full-time caregiver.  As Rich's health worsened in recent years, he went to live at Barton Creek Assisted Living in July 2017 and then moved to Creekside Senior Living in July 2018.

Rich and Clare were blessed with 3 wonderful children:  Todd Tippets (Tricia) of North Salt Lake, UT and their 5 children Alex, Anna, and Andrew (from his first marriage) and 2 step-children Nicole and Nick Rudé; Lora Saxey (Todd) of South Jordan, UT and their 3 daughters Hannah, Rachel, and Alayna; and Jared Tippets (Niki) of Cedar City, UT and their 3 sons Tyler, Clark, and Benson.

Rich loved his family deeply and enjoyed sharing adventures and making memories at his many favorite locations including the family cabin at Pine Mountain, Lake Powell, Moab, Island Park, and Teton National Park.  Rich and Clare took their entire family to Cancun in 2013 and to Puerto Vallarta in 2016.  Additionally, Rich and Clare were able to enjoy many cruises to Alaska, Mexico, the Panama Canal, the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada, and the Baltic nations of northern Europe.

Rich was an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served in many positions throughout his life.  He worked for many years in the Scouting program and often said “I'm not so much a dedicated scouter as I am a dedicated father.”  He loved to fish, boat, travel in his motorhome, watch movies, and read books about the Civil War and World War II.  He loved to fix anything and everything that was in need (or perhaps not even in need!) of repair. He loved tools and gadgets of all kinds.

He was preceded in death by his mother, father, and sister (Marlene).  He is survived by one sister, Patsy Johnson (Kim) from Idaho Falls, ID.

A funeral service to celebrate Rich's life will be held at 11am on Friday,  November 2, 2018 in the Bountiful Stone Creek Ward located at 1476 North 300 West; Bountiful, UT.  Visitations will be Thursday, November 1, 2018 from 6:30pm to 8pm at Russon Brothers Mortuary, 295 N. Main St; Bountiful UT and Friday prior to the funeral service from 9:30am to 10:30am at the church.