John Thomas Lippold

John was born on September 28, 1938 to Dr. John Lippold and Agnes (Telford) Lippold of Spencer, Iowa. The family’s summer cottage was at Lake Okoboji where he spent his summers sailing his Class “C” scow #P52 on the lake. He attended Creighton College and the University of Iowa and served in the Army National Guard of Iowa as a radio relay operator. In 1963, much to the bewilderment of his family he moved to California and landed in San Francisco. He earned his degree in Mortuary Science from the San Francisco College of Mortuary Science and later met and romanced MaryAnne Jurd who soon became his
wife. His first job was with Spangler Mortuary in Los Altos but it wasn’t long before he realized this would not be his life’s profession. The next 45 years were spent in the residential construction industry as a Building Materials Field Sales Representative in millwork. This was during the Santa Clara Valley housing boom. In addition, he and MaryAnne owned Country Manor Accents on Main Street in Los Altos. They enjoyed being a part of the business community until her passing in 1997. John later retired from Bruce Bauer Lumber and Supply in 2008.

John had two passions: Restoring construction toys and gardening. Although his favorite toys were Tonkas, his first truck was not a Tonka. It was a Sturti-bilt Bekins Moving Van given to him by his parents on a freezing Iowa Christmas Day in 1947. Today, John has approximately 48 toys, including Tonkas, Doepkes, Construction Classics, Bantam, DHS Die cast and the Tonka Hallmark Collection. John could always be seen at garage sales and especially flea markets on his yearly trips to Iowa and Hawaii.

John moved to Parc Regent in Los Altos in 2006. He loved the strong social network and level of caring that persisted through the community. Besides serving on the board for 6 years (most as President) he oversaw many maintenance projects and worked with the various vendors necessary in running a community. Landscaping was his biggest love, however, and he oversaw a $50,000 redesign besides building six raised planter boxes and establishing the community garden committee. His knowledge and expertise was always valued, appreciated and respected.

For John, pain was simply an inconvenience, one he hardly ever acknowledged. Sickness was something that happened to others. He was never relenting and never gave in. There wasn’t a time that he wasn’t doing something toward making life better for the community or someone else. He was the consummate host and loved nothing better than to host parties and be the bartender. These qualities served him well in many ways and at many times. We will desperately miss this special man.

John is survived by his wife, Tanya De Mare, his son John (Lesley), his grandchildren, Cody, Elle and Max, his sister Bernie Manly, and nephews Mike Manly (Shelly) and Tom Manly. There will be a private memorial gathering at a future date. Donations in his name may be made to Saratoga Federated Church, 20390 Park Place, Saratoga, CA 95070 or South Bay Purebred Rescue, P.O. Box 595, Morgan Hill, CA 95038.