Walter H. "Mike" Tipert, Jr., 75, died on Jan. 1, 2011 at home following a lengthy illness. He was the husband of Janice (Reid) Tipert, with whom he shared 48 years of marriage.

Born in Danvers on July 3, 1935, he was the son of the late Walter and Jean (Perkins) Tipert. He was raised and educated in Danvers and was a graduate of Holten High School, Class of 1954. He went on to play football at the University of Tennessee and finished his degree at Northeastern University in 1970. An honorably discharged veteran of the Vietnam era, he was a member of the U.S. Army Security Agency stationed in Thailand.

Tipert was a business entrepreneur, owning and operating Danvers Rubbish and Trash, Danvers House and Window Cleaning, Town Hall Motors, Danvers Snow Plowing, the Wash Tub Laundromat, and Colonial Landscaping. He also operated the first ice vending machine in Danvers.

A lifelong resident, he served for 20 years on the town Finance Committee, for several years as chairman. He was a founding member of Danvers Youth Football, Danvers Educational Enrichment Partnership (DEEP), the Touchdown Club of Danvers and the DHS Blue & White Club. A past president of the Masonic Temple Association, Tipert was a 53-year member of the Mosaic Lodge and Past Patron of the Order of Eastern Star, Mt. Burnet Chapter #119.

Tipert was also a member of the Danvers Kiwanis Club for 50 years, where he was a past president and past lieutenant governor and the recipient of a Hixon Fellowship. For over 25 years, he and his wife sponsored the Danvers Family Festival Doll Carriage Parade. He was a Blue & White Hall of Fame inductee and a recipient of the Baron Mayer Award.

In addition to his loving wife, Tipert is survived by four children: Andrea Crawford of Newnan, Ga., Monica Tipert of Danvers, Walter H. Tipert III and his wife Christen of Danvers, and Lance Tipert and his wife Sharon of Frisco, Texas, and three grandchildren: Laurel Elizabeth Tipert, Peyton Sophia Tipert and Alan Michael Tipert.

Arrangements

A funeral service will be held Thursday, Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. in the Holy Trinity United Methodist Church, 16 Sylvan St., Danvers. Burial will follow in Walnut Grove Cemetery, Danvers. Relatives and friends are invited. Visiting hours are Wednesday, Jan. 5, from 4-8 p.m. in C.R. Lyons & Sons, Funeral Directors, 28 Elm St., Danvers.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Tipert's name may be made to the Blue & White Foundation, c/o Barry Robertson, 12 Worthington Ave., Danvers, MA 01923 or the Holy Trinity United Methodist Church, 16 Sylvan St., Danvers, MA 01923.

~ Obituary courtesy of C.R. Lyons & Sons.