RV/Manufactured Housing Hall of Famer Lawrence Cecil “Larry” Lippert passed away Aug. 19 at age 100. He founded Lippert in 1956 and is among three generations of the family inducted into the Hall of Fame. His son, Doug, was inducted in 2017 and his grandson, Jason, was inducted this week.
In 1956, Larry Lippert opened LCI Industries. What started as a small company in Alma, Michigan, has evolved into a company with over 15,000 employees in numerous locations worldwide.
Larry Lippert would lead Lippert through periods of growth and tremendous financial hardships, but his entrepreneurial spirit always kept the company going. Larry Lippert retired in 1977, and the company said his legacy is still deeply felt across Lippert, in the culture he inspired, the people he believed in, and the mission that is carried forward today.
Jason Lippert said, “My grandfather was a true trailblazer. The world was a different place in 1956. The war had just ended, and there were thousands of men and women who came home and tried to make a better life for themselves and their families. Nothing was handed to my grandfather. He had a vision, and it took a lot of guts, hard work and determination to make that vision a reality.”
Jason Lippert said none of the company’s success would have occurred if his grandfather had not forged his own path in 1956.
“As we now look back and celebrate his legacy,” Jason Lippert said, “I, along with the rest of our Lippert family, thank my grandfather for the groundwork he laid and the life he led. We are saddened by his passing, but at the same time celebrate the 100 years of life that he spent on this earth.”
Larry Lippert was born June 25, 1925, in Rose City, Michigan, to Ackley and Myrtle (Boddy) Lippert. Lippert was raised and spent his life in Alma, Michigan.
He served in the U.S. Navy aboard an aircraft carrier in the Pacific and was awarded the National Defense Service ribbon, among other awards. Lippert received the Navy Unit Citation for his service in air combat intelligence, which is the Navy’s highest unit award.
He returned home and married his wife, Dorothy Faye Wood, on June 30, 1946. The couple had two sons, Larry Douglas Lippert and Steven Lyn Lippert.
Lippert was involved over the years in many positions of service in the community, including the Chamber of Commerce, Alma Industrial Development, Alma College, East Superior Christian Church, Alma Rotary, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.
He was a life member of the Alma VFW, the Masonic Lodge, BPOE, Order of the Eastern Star, and an Odd Fellows member.
Lippert enjoyed his family, baseball and flying. In 2010, Alma High School named its baseball field after him. He continued to fly until he was 83 years old.
Lippert is survived by his wife of 79 years, Dorothy of Alma; his sons Doug and Marcha of Naples, Florida; and Steven and Lynne of St. Louis, Michigan. He is survived six grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren: Jason (Darla) and their children Gillian, Quinn Lawrence, Luke and Landon of Granger, Indiana; Joshua (Michelle) and their children Lauren (Jake) Harmen and Emma of Zionsville, Indiana; Jarod (Andrea) and their children Logan and Olivia of Mattawan, Michigan; Jaime (Brad) Dancer and their children MacKenzie, Jake, Ellie and Zachary of Naples, Florida; Jayde (Morgan) and their children Jackson and Liam of Granger, Indiana; and Shawn (Crystal) and their children Audrey and Nate of Plano, Texas.
Lippert was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Francis, William, Robert and Richard Dean.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday at Lux-Moody-Wolfel Funeral Home in Alma. A private family interment will follow in Riverside Cemetery. Visitation is 5-7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Kali’s Cure for Paralysis, 5475 Blue Heron Drive, Alma, Michigan 48801.
Click here for a video about how Lippert started his company.
