OBITUARY Gordon Robert Hipp October 15, 1931 – December 21, 2018 A funeral service for Gordon R. Hipp will be held at Shady Grove United Methodist Church on Wednesday, December 26, 2018 at 3:00 p.m., with burial in the churchyard. Visitation will be from 2:00 until 2:45 p.m. prior to the service at the church. Dunbar Funeral Home, Dutch Fork Chapel, is assisting the family.
Mr. Hipp was born October 15, 1931 in Gadsden, Alabama to the late James Howard Hipp, Jr. and Carrie Capps Hipp. He was the husband of 41 years to the late Mary Derrick Hipp. Mr. Hipp graduated from Irmo High School in 1950 and served in the U.S. Navy from June 1950 through April 1954.
While in the Navy, Mr. Hipp was a radarman aboard the USS Wren, DD568 and served one tour of duty with Task Force 77, which operated out of Japan during the Korean Conflict. He was proud that he was able to circumnavigate the globe while serving on the Wren. He was a member of the Golden Dragon Club as well as a Shellback, having crossed the equator south of Singapore, Malaya.
Mr. Hipp graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1959 with a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and began his career with the S.C. Highway Department as a junior engineer on the construction bridges over Lake Hartwell on S.C. Rte. 24, Interstate 85 and S.C. Rte. 123.
He was transferred to Engineering District 1 in Columbia in 1961 to serve as the District Mechanical Engineer. He was promoted to District Maintenance Engineer in 1975 and to Assistant State Maintenance Engineer in 1978. Gordon retired in 1991 as State Maintenance Engineer with 32 years of service.
Gordon was a member of Shady Grove United Methodist Church for over 50 years and served in various capacities, including Chairman of the Administrative Council, Chairman of the Family Life Center Building Committee, and President of the Men’s Club. He also served on the Columbia District Committee for Congregational Development for several years. Mr. Hipp was a charter member and Post Commander of American Legion Post 174 of Irmo from 1973-75.
He was a life member of Boyleston Lodge, AFM 123 at Ballentine. Gordon loved to travel and had visited all 50 states, 8 Canadian Provinces, 2 Canadian Territories, and 15 foreign countries. He is survived by his son, Bret H. Hipp (Kathy) of Irmo; two granddaughters, Pressley McClain Hipp and Mary Monroe Hipp of Lexington; two sisters, Dorothy H. Hunter of Columbia and Evelyn H. Evans (Claude) of Chapin; one brother, James A. Hipp of Columbia; and many nieces and nephews.
Mr. Hipp was predeceased by a brother, Howard K. Hipp and his step-mother, Nina Hayden Hipp. Memorials may be made to Shady Grove United Methodist Church, 1918 Shady Grove Road, Irmo, SC 29063.
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