John was born February 8, 1924, in Tyler, Texas, the second of three sons. He spent his childhood in Tyler where he witnessed the greatness of small towns and the impact of the Great Depression. These experiences helped instill in him the value of family, the dignity of work and the power of education.
John proudly served his country as a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps. He flew a variety of aircraft including the B29, C46 (far from his favorite) and C47 transport aircraft. His pilot responsibilities during WWII included flying the Distant Early Warning Line (the DEW Line) along the Canadian and Arctic border to assure that it remained intact. John served with the Air Force Reserves in the early 1950’s and was stationed in Salt Lake City.
He attended and graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1946, with a degree in Chemistry and subsequently furthered his education at Texas A&M University. It was at Vanderbilt where he met Darlene Swafford, who became his first wife and to whom he was married for over 20 years.
John had a long and successful career in the oil and gas industry. One of his early, greatest and proudest accomplishments was bringing a state of the art refining facility on-line in Montreal, Canada, which continues to operate today. John’s work led him to live in Cody, Wyoming, Corpus Christi, Texas, Salt Lake City, Utah, Long Island, New York, Aruba, the Republic of Panama, Metairie, Louisiana and Houston, Texas.
Following the death of his first wife, he met Alice Edwena Gound, affectionately called “Eddie,” whom he later married. They settled in Houston and built a home on Marco Island, Florida and later moved back to Houston, then Montgomery, Texas. It was a wonderful union of nearly 47 years that resulted in a blended family of eight children. During this time, John continued his entrepreneurial pursuits and created Brio and Ocho Petroleum, both successful oil brokerage companies.
John was described by many names; son, brother, uncle, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend. His greatest love was his family and he set aside time every day to interact with them. He adamantly believed family was the center of all and worked diligently to impart its values to his children and grandchildren. He loved to tease and often was mischievous in his interactions with family members. He also cherished his poker days with his buddies. John valued being a good citizen and loved his country. He was a generous man, intellectually curious, an avid reader of diverse literature (including everything from scientific and nonfiction publications to spy novels which he especially enjoyed), an ardent western movies fan, an unquestionable Houston Astros fan regardless of the nature of their season, a proud baker (a skill he imparted upon any willing family member), a connoisseur of barbecue, an accomplished marksman, a traveler, an explorer and an adventurer. His adventures included crossing the Isthmus of Panama on foot. He brought back many stories of the jungle, including stories about anaconda snakes and jungle creatures to thrill his children. He and Eddie travelled extensively, including to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Egypt and more, always with a goal of expanding their knowledge of the world.
John is survived by his beloved wife Alice Edwena Lipstate of Montgomery, Texas; his children Deborah Lipstate, Michael Lipstate, Patricia Lipstate Sommer, Rebecca Lipstate Gray and her husband David, JorgeAnn Salemi, Kenneth Gound, Casey Gound, and Perry Gound and his wife Vera; his grandchildren Daniel Seidman and his wife Danielle, Benjamin Seidman and his wife Callie, Katherine Sommer Lee and her husband Jon, Johannah Sommer Garza and her husband John, Megan Gray, Molly Gray, Hank Gray, Jon Lipstate and his wife Angie, Jessica Lipstate Temple and her husband Buck, Amanda Elliott-Lipstate and her husband Scott, Elle Gound Kadosh and her husband Eliav, Mark Salemi and his wife Pam, Michael Salemi and his wife Nika; his great grandchildren Bret Salemi, Olivia Lee, Aria Lipstate and Lucas Seidman; his niece Betsy Lipstate Malambri and her husband Frank; and his nephew James Lipstate and his wife Linda. He was preceded in death by his parents, Philip Harry and Gertrude Faber Lipstate; his brothers Philip H. Lipstate, Jr. and Eugene J. Lipstate; his first wife Darlene Swafford Lipstate; and his daughter Trudy Lipstate.
The family extends special thanks to Devotion Hospice for its compassionate care and to Mr. Lipstate’s many kind companion caregivers for their support. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to any of the following:
Devotion Hospice, 26723 Oak Hill Dr., Spring Texas, 77386
https://devotionhospice.com
Gary Sinise Foundation · PO Box 368 · Woodland Hills, CA · 91365
https://www.garysinisefoundation.org/donate/
Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675-8516
https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/
Disabled Veterans National Foundation, 4601 Forbes Blvd Ste 130, Lanham, MD 20706
https://dvnf.org
There will be a private family service.
