James B. Tipton, 82, of Wilmington, NC passed away on December 24, 2018 at Lower Cape Fear Hospice.
Jim was born in Millers Creek, KY on December 31, 1935 to the late Clarence and Ella Watson Tipton. Jim was the sixth child of eleven children. He is survived by two sisters, Carol Goins and husband Harold from Germantown, OH and Beth Duff and husband Bill from Fort Wayne, IN, and two brothers, John Tipton and wife Ruth from Fort Wayne, IN and Roger Tipton from Jacksonville, FL.
After working on the family farm growing up, Jim entered the military in his late teens and proudly served his country for 21 years, retiring as an air traffic controller from the Air Force with the rank of Master Sergeant. After the Air Force, Jim continued his civil service in the U.S. Postal Service for more than three decades as a mail carrier and a supervisor. During his tenure with the post office, Jim attained a BS in Business Administration from UNC-Wilmington. It was during this time that he met his wife of 34 years, Lou Anna (Ann) Tipton. Together they loved to go dancing and build or remodel houses. Jim loved hard work and the outdoors and is remembered for his kind words and a smile on his face.
Jim is the father of five biological children, Owen Tipton, Barry Tipton, and Timothy Tipton and wife Madelyn, all from Falmouth, MA, Ginger Tipton from Santa Clarita, CA, and Kevin Tipton from Wilmington, NC. He is also the adopted father of Chuck Tipton of Wilmington, NC and Pamela Tipton (deceased). In addition, he is the stepfather of John Lorek,III, Sheila Hardison and husband Danny, and David Lorek, all from Wilmington, NC. Jim is the grandfather of eleven, Amanda, Josh, Vann, Paige, Danny, Ryan, Jacob, Carson, Nathan, Tessa, and Juliette, and great-grandfather of two, Iris and Liam.
A funeral Mass will be held at St. Stanislaus Church, 4849 Castle Hayne Road, Castle Hayne, NC 28429, on Monday December 31, 2018 at 11:00 AM with visitation prior at 10:00 AM at the church. Burial with military honors will follow the funeral Mass in the church cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Lower Cape Fear Hospice, 1414 Physicians Drive Wilmington, NC 28401. https://lcfhospicefoundation3233.thankyou4caring.org/
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Wilmington Funeral & Cremation 1535 S. 41st Street Wilmington NC 28403 910.791.9099.
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