Richard Lippin, May 8, 2018, of East Falls, died peacefully, surrounded by his family. He was predeceased in October by his beloved partner in crime, Marge. He was also predeceased by his parents, Nettie and Edward, and his sister, Ruthe.
He was the ever-loving daddio of Joanna Schultz (Frank), Daniel (Kim) and Kathryn Faenza; proudest grandfather of Eva, Lia, Jordan and Drew; loving uncle of Maura Cunningham and Brendan Cunningham.
NOTE: Funeral Arrangements
Please bring your favorite stories and fondest memories to celebrate his life on Sunday, May 20th, from 2 to 5 P.M. at his daughter Kathryn’s home. If there was ever a man to celebrate, it’s Richard and he will definitely be disappointed to not be in attendance. Please RSVP via email to McIlvaine Funeral Home care of Joan McIlvaine, joanmcil@verizon.net
Richard graduated from Temple University and later received his Masters of Library Sciences from Drexel University. After a brief stint in the Army making dog-tags, he began the life of a devoted civil servant who spent his entire career working for The Free Library of Philadelphia. He spent over 40 years working his way from a branch head in Northeast Philadelphia (where he would meet his beloved Marge), to eventually running the Mayor’s Commission for Literacy. After his “retirement”, he came back to the library as Program Coordinator of a new endeavor called Rebuilding the Future, which was a guest author program. He helped bring in many prestigious authors including Kurt Vonnegut, Amy Tan, Frank McCormack, Doris Kearns Goodwin and Buzz Bissinger amongst others.
Richard was so much more than his career. He was first and foremost the devoted husband and father to a family that simply adored him, and he, them. His incredible wit, sense of humor, and mischievous side made for a home full of light and laughter. His love of Fred Astaire was legendary, but sadly his attempts to sing and mimic his dance moves were anything but…. Yearly vacations to Cape Cod were full of bingo nights, unwilling hikes by his children in cranberry bogs and all the miniature golf two parents should have to suffer through. Those times on the Cape remain the fondest memories for his children.
Richard had many interests including travel, music, film, “the ponies”, the Phillies and his beloved “perfect dog” Ziggy. He dared to do the New York Times crossword puzzle in pen, had a Shakespeare quote for every occasion and did random geog-raphy drills during dinner to keep his children on their toes.
He had many friends and was the true life of the party. The unspoken rule of never talking about politics or religion at a party was often (always) lost on him but his humor and wit kept him on everyones’ guest lists. His walking and dinner clubs were some of his favorite activities, and they kept him young at heart until almost the end.
He was one in a million and loved by all. He was the ultimate mensch!! He was a true renaissance man with a brilliant mind until the thief known as Alzheimers sadly robbed him of everything.
Please bring your favorite stories and fondest memories to celebrate his life on Sunday, May 20th, from 2 to 5 P.M. at his daughter Kathryn’s home. If there was ever a man to celebrate, it’s Richard and he will definitely be disappointed to not be in attendance.
All donations in Richard’s memory should be made to St. Malachy School in Philadelphia or the Philadelphia Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.