Larry George Lippert

Larry passed on peacefully from this life on Thursday July 2, 2009. Larry George Lippert was born in Kulm, North Dakota on June 11, 1949 to George and Elsie (Gumke) Lippert and was the 4th of 6 children. The first 5 years of his life were spent as a German-speaking boy on a family farm. The family moved to the Upper Wenatchee Valley in 1954 where Larry spent the remainder of his formative years. Larry graduated from Cashmere High School in 1967 as the self proclaimed "tallest of the short kids and shortest of the tall kids". Although this was a well known "Larry-ism" for average kid Larry was far from an average man. He attended Washington State University and Central Washington University where he graduated with a Bachelors Degree in Geology. In 1971 he married Paula Strutzel and had his two children, Jessica in 1977 and Matthew in 1980. Larry began his career in carpentry in the mid 1970's which carried on throughout his life. He was an extremely creative craftsman and enjoyed customizing homes from the blueprint to the final nail. There are countless homes in this valley that have his handprint on them, whether he designed them, remodeled them, or built them from scratch. He was not a member of any big building associations and would jokingly say "I wouldn't be a part of any group that would have ME as a member!" Regardless, he was a well-respected member of his profession. In 1990 Larry married Kathy Marker. Together they not only built homes but a wonderful life together. Although their time together was short it was filled with adventure, laughter, and love. They were team-mates in all aspects of their lives together. They were in the process of building their final home together on their "little piece of paradise" on Blewett Pass. Larry was Kathy's strength, her best friend, her soul mate; the love of her life. Throughout his life Larry enjoyed various pursuits. He hunted occasionally and enjoyed his time at Camp with The Guys. Larry also enjoyed trap shooting. He had been a member of the National Guard in his younger years where he had learned to perfect his 20 minute power-napping technique while traveling between their training sessions. He studied photography and loved his cameras. He loved the freedom of piloting small airplanes whenever the chance arose. He had been a runner in his earlier life and loved pushing himself to beat his own time on a long and challenging run. He loved music; old rock, country rock, some blues, and anything that sounded like it came out of the "hills" of North Dakota. Larry loved the therapy of 'moving dirt around' and losing a day on a backhoe. Recently he'd been cutting brush on his property and would get happily lost in the process of manicuring his 'lawn' with his enviable saw-bladed weed whacker. He liked classic cars and wistfully recalled having owned his Road Runner as a young man and besting his own land speed records on Stines Hill while on milk runs for his folks. He loved his family and enjoyed spending time with them all; if it meant lending his carpenter's hand to a weekend project or just helping his kids wash their cars. He was a phenomenal Grandpa to his son-in-law's little girls and would hastily volunteer his time to be with them at the drop of a hat. Larry loved to go for truck rides in the hills and to sleep outside under the stars. He had a daunting collection of ink pens and mechanical pencils as he could never resist whatever the latest new gadget was at the office supply store. His collection of reading glasses was equally impressive; why go looking for that one pair when you could swing into Rite Aid and buy an extra pair a few times every month? He loved to find humor in the ironies of life and had a dry, yet witty and sarcastic, sense of humor. He could make you laugh even if maybe you shouldn't! Tasty chocolate treats, particularly Pinwheels or German chocolate cake, rarely got past him, especially if they came with a side of potatoes! Larry was preceded in death by his sister Donna Mae, father George, and brother Darell. He is survived by his wife Kathy, daughter Jessica (Corey) Reed of Wenatchee, son Matthew of Walla Walla, mother Elsie of Cashmere, brothers Harry (Jan) of Wenatchee, and Marvin (Cheryl) of Cashmere, sister Mavis (Bob) Green of California, sister-in-law Jan (Darell)of Marysville, and many nieces and nephews. Larry is also survived by his two very favorite little girls, Keely and Alexis Reed. A gathering celebrating Larry's life will be held on July 15, 2009 from 2:00 to 5:00 at the Cashmere Riverside Center, which was one of the many construction projects Larry contributed his talents to. Stop by to visit Larry's family and friends, and enjoy photos, music, and memories to be shared by all. And as Larry would say with a grin, "It was so nice for you to see me!"

Larry George Lippert

June 11, 1949 - July 2, 2009