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| Edward Walter "Bud" Tipton, Jr. 1941-2024 |
Normally I wouldn't post an obituary on this blog but but this obituary written for my cousin is perhaps the best obituary I have ever read. I suspect his niece wrote it, writing is her profession. She has worked for several newspapers.
She has captured the essence of her Uncle Bud without being over fawning or too short.
I will be unable to attend Bud's funeral which is this Thursday. His is the second funeral I've been unable to attend because I am caring for Bill. I had considered taking Bill with me for the two and a half hour ride to Pennsylvania and checking in a hotel overnight. Bill wants to see Pennsylvania one more time. However, two reasons I am unable to take him this time is because of the weather forecast for snow, rain and sleet. I'm also unable to make contact with his sister to confirm if I can speak a few words about my friend and cousin Bud. I also wanted to speak at my brother John's funeral last year but was advised they wanted to keep the funeral short and no one but the pastor would speak. I had left a message on his sister's phone that I would like to speak but I haven't received a response from her. I've called five times. Of course she's probably busy with making the arrangements and dealing with other family members. And perhaps it's just as well that I don't take Bill on that long trip to Pennsylvania. Bill continues to get weaker every day. A trip that length would be hard on both of us. I believe Bud's funeral service will be live streamed. I'll watch that as I did his twin sister's funeral services a couple years ago. That was the first time I watched a live stream of a funeral service. What a wonderful service for those who cannot attend in person. But oh how I so wanted to attend his services. It just is not to be though.
Here is Bud's obituary:
Edward “Bud” Tipton Jr., 82, of Downingtown, passed away on Friday, January 12, 2024 at Accelerate Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation, Exton.
Born in West Chester, Edward was the son of the late Edward W. and Mabel R. (Thompson) Tipton.
He served his country in the U.S. Army as a military policeman before joining Johnson Matthey in Malvern, Pa., in 1969, where he would go on to work as a cost estimator for 42 years and where he made many lifelong friends.
Edward was an avid outdoorsman who was happiest in nature. He greatly looked forward to a yearly fishing trip with friends in the wooded hills of his parents’ native North Carolina, always triumphantly returning with coolers that brimmed with fresh brook trout. His skill as a fisherman was unmatched and he delighted in quietly, patiently, passing his knowledge on to others.
The garden is yet another place Edward excelled, faithfully harvesting his (regionally) famed tomatoes and sweet corn each and every summer. He also grew an annual abundance of wildflowers which spilled over tidy borders in every shade of the rainbow. Edward’s green thumb was nowhere more apparent than his early autumn skin, an impossibly deep bronze that made his impossibly blue eyes twinkle and shine all the more.
At the end of a long day, Edward enjoyed nothing more than retiring to his garage to watch the sunset with a stiff drink, his pipe and one of the several yellow Labrador retrievers he cared for over the years.
Edward was as comfortable with solitude as he was in a crowd. He was authentic and kindhearted. Generous in every respect. A calming and steady presence, a travel partner, a patriarch. A genuinely good and decent man, who was beloved by all who knew him.
He will be, and already is, deeply missed.
He is survived by his sisters, Barbara Keehn and Janet Drozdowski, along with many nieces and nephews.
In addition to his parents, Edward was preceded in death by his twin sister Joan Tipton Salluzzo and his sister Linda Tipton.
A visitation will be held on Thursday, January 18, 2024 from 9:45-10:45 AM at James J. Terry Funeral Home, 736 E. Lancaster Ave., Downingtown, PA 19335. A funeral service will be held at 11 AM at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Union Hill Cemetery, Kennett Square.
8 comments:
That's got to be the best obituary I've ever read. I hope you are able to view the streamed service. I think it's best you don't try to attend with having to deal with Bill and all. I'm glad you've got good memories of Bud to remember him by.
Jim
Jim,
His sister called me this afternoon. I asked her who wrote Bud's obituary. She told me her daughter did. Her daughter works for a newspaper. It's obvious she didn't follow the cut and past usual funeral home obituary listing the deceased's accomplishment but instead captured the essence of the deceased. I agree with you, this one was the best obituary I've ever read. And I read a lot of obituaries so that's saying something!
Ron
that was marvelous
Spo,
You would have liked my cousin Bud very much. Bud had Someone's personality, even down to the way he talked. Even the timbre of their voices were the same. I've always regretted that I couldn't bring people from other parts of my life to meet my friends like you and Someone from my life now. Bud was also a very organized person who took control and made everything work. He and Someone could have been brothers. When I first met Someone, I thought of my cousin Bud immediately. They were birds of a feather. He will be missed greatly.
Ron
So sorry for your loss, Ron. It is indeed a beautiful piece and she must be a skilled writer to have completed it so exquisitely and swiftly.
I was charged with writing the obituaries for both my mother and soon after for my daughter when Covid took her suddenly. It is difficult to do in the midst of grieving but a sacred duty nonetheless.
Be well, you are a saint.
I'm sorry for your loss, Ron. That is a lovely obituary. I used to read the obituaries in whatever newspaper we had; some are just so beautifully written, like this one, that you feel you knew the person.
Ivy,
I am so sorry for the loss of both your mother and daughter. I wrote both the obituaries for my Mother and father. I used the template the funeral home provided. If I write any more obituaries (Bill's) I will write like my cousin's daughter wrote; an obituary that gives the full essence of the deceased. I watched the funeral services yesterday on live stream. The services were beautiful. I wish I could have been there. Thank you for your comment.
Ron
Elle,
Yes, my cousin wrote this obituary for her uncle and she captured his essence perfectly. She will now be my inspiration should I ever have to write an obituary again. That would be for Bill if he predeceased me.Thank you for your comment.
Ron
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