JOHN DREW CHIPMAN

1934 to 2021

A big teddy bear

[Editor’s Note: There is a magnificent PowerPoint presentation at the end of John’s tribute created by his son, Matt Chipman. Be sure to click on the John D. Chipman link.]

John Drew Chipman—a man of delectable humor and positivity who cherished his wife (shown left), children and grandchildren—passed away at Aegis Assisted Living on Wednesday, February 3, 2021, in Granada Hills. He was 86.

Less than five months earlier, John’s wife of 63 years, Marylee, died at Aegis where both resided. John, who was suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s disease, grasped the moment sufficiently enough to tell his beloved wife: “We will meet again.”

A big, teddy bear of a guy, John had a lighthearted approach to life, especially when it came to his wife. Where Marylee could be tempestuous on occasion, he fielded anything negative with the ease of a standup comedian brushing off a heckler with a witty one liner. In John’s presence, everyone felt safe, warm, in the company of a best friend. He drew smiles, laughter, good vibes—always.

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DAVE BENNETT HARRIS

1948 to 2021

A need for speed

Dave Bennett Harris—a man with a scholar’s mind, passion for motorcycles, and need for speed—passed away from Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Home, Winston Salem, North Carolina, on Friday, February 19, 2021. His wife and two children were at his bedside throughout. He was 72.

A stay-at-home-dad for six years, Dave raised his son and daughter all during their toddler stages and had the distinction of being the first and only member of the Clemmons West Babysitting Co-op to have a profile written about him in the Clemmons Courier.

The only child of Dorothy (Brehmer) and Philip Allen Harris, a postal worker, Dave was born May 23, 1948 in Danville, VA. Raised in Springfield, he loved riding his 3-speed English racer, playing badminton and fishing with his dad. After graduating from Thomas Edison High School, he attended George Mason University in Fairfax, VA, majoring in economics.

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HELEN MARIE MORRIS

 1948 – 2021

A wonderful, quirky smile

Helen Marie Morris—loving sister of seven, whose wonderful, quirky smile was as indelible as her passion for the Vineland High School Football team and helping others—died at home after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s disease on Thursday, January 21, 2021. She was 72.

A lifelong resident of Vineland, New Jersey, Helen was a study in overcoming hardship with grace and optimism. Injured at birth due to anoxia (oxygen denied to her brain), she defied the diagnosis of the times, mental retardation (now known as intellectual disability), and grew into a joyful young woman who held down a job, loved to dance, and took an active role in assisting in her own health needs.

Cheerful, with the sweetest disposition, she was thoughtful, funny, kind and always eager to lend a helping hand to family. Because of her disabilities, it was Helen who united her many siblings, through good times and bad (no easy feat, they say), in the shared goal of concern and care for her.  For that, her family will always be grateful. She gave much more to them then they could possibly have ever given to her.

She thrived amidst siblings

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SHEILA ANN TRIPP

1962 to 2021

“No one spread more love”

Sheila Ann Tripp—a woman whose humor, boisterous laugh, and extraordinary generosity benefitted strangers as well as friends and family, especially her beloved daughters—passed away in her sleep, on January 5, 2021, at her home in Phoenix, AZ, her precious Labrador Ava at her side. She was found by Rob Finney, an ex-suitor who had remained a close and dear friend.

She was just 58.

Sheila’s three daughters, Frances, Rosemary and Amber, are still trying to adjust to the shock of their mother’s sudden and unexpected death, their sweet memories swirling amidst their grief. A single, working mom, who raised her children on her own, Sheila often went without so she could buy the perfect birthday gift, encircle the Christmas tree with festively wrapped presents, and whisk her girls off to the zoo, a hike, or the Botanical Gardens.

“No one spread more love in one lifetime than my mom,” said daughter Rosemary Lee. Continue reading “SHEILA ANN TRIPP” →

JOHN TERRENCE ROURKE

1945 to 2020

A taste for adventure

John Terrence Rourke—a man with tremendous financial acumen, a sparkling wit, and a taste for adventure—passed away from complications of COVID-19 at North Kansas City Hospital, MO, on Friday, November 27, 2020. He was 75.

Born September 23, 1945, in Wilmington, DE, to John A. Rourke, Jr. and Regina (McCollum) Rourke, John was the oldest of seven children. He and his four brothers and two sisters were raised in a rowdy, close-knit, Irish Catholic family and remained close all their lives.

In John’s early years, due to his father’s work as a pioneer in computer programming technology, the Rourkes moved to several states before settling in Omaha, NE, where John attended Cathedral High School and played on the football team. Following graduation in 1964, he joined the US Army and served as a paratrooper for the 82^nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina from 1967 to 1971.

John and his BSA

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