Thomas Mark (Tom) Tipton, 65, of Coffeyville, KS passed away on July 5, 2024, in Tulsa, OK after a short, yet fierce battle with cancer.
Tom was born in Coffeyville to Juanita Marie (née Maxson) and Carl Wayne Tipton on November 13, 1958. He spent his youth on the family farm corralling turtles, battling a goat named Charlie, hunting, and caring for many, many English Setter puppies. He attended Dearing Elementary and Roosevelt Middle Schools before becoming an oft-uttered name in the Attendance Office of Field Kindley High School by his future mother-in-law. Despite his best efforts to the contrary, he graduated from FKHS with his fellow members of the Class of 1977, many of whom he still counted as dear friends up to the time of his passing. He had very fond memories from playing countless games of pitch in the Coffeyville Community College Student Union at the expense of classroom time before he determined that college life might not be for him.
He was blessed enough to marry the love of his life, Linette Maria Michel on April 25, 1980. They went on to raise two children (and many, many English Setter puppies) over the course of their 44-year marriage on the very same land on which Tom was raised. Their love and devotion to one another was so evident to all who knew them, setting an amazing example for their family of all the potential marriage has to complement and enhance us when we find our perfect match.
Tom was an avid shooter and hunter of pheasant, quail, turkey, partridge, and even the occasional prairie dog for his entire life, going on yearly trips to hunt each of the above, first with his father, then with his son, and always with some of the very best friends a man could ever ask for. He loved working with his bird dogs and letting them run the land as he rode alongside them with his loved ones. The friends he made while pursuing his hobbies, his ‘hunting buddies’, were a fixture in his life as well as the lives of his family and he felt truly blessed to know them.
After gaining the prestigious title of “Papa” in late 2016, Tom went on to pour all the zeal and passion he had for life into being the very best Papa a grandkid could ever ask for. Family time on the family land entailed countless tractor, lawnmower, and ‘go-d-go’ rides; fishing; time spent with Papa’s hunting dogs; amazing food; and time around the fire, sharing good drink, fond memories, and the absolute best company. Papa read books, told stories, taught life lessons, and passed down his extensive turtle-herding knowledge to his grandkids, who all think the world of him and who deeply feel his absence.
Tom was the co-owner and operator of Four State Maintenance Supply for nearly 39 years with his business partner and close friend Tim Roberts. He was extraordinarily passionate about his business, but perhaps even more so, about the hard-working people that he was blessed to work with, either as employees or as customers during his long tenure in janitorial supply sales. Tom was the kind of person who was always willing to offer advice, guidance, or assistance to those he encountered. He loved helping young salesmen hone their skills as much as he found meaning teaching young people entering the work force at Four State a strong work ethic and sense of accountability that would benefit them for the rest of their working lives.
Tom is deeply missed and joyfully remembered by his surviving family, including his wife, Linette, of the home; daughter, Katie Martin (Nathan) and children August and Maxwell of Swan Point, MD; son, Benjamin Tipton (Danielle Henry), and children Colten, Camryn, and Izabella of Mulvane, KS; brother, David Tipton (Connie) of Afton, OK; and sister, Kathy Tipton, of Wichita, KS. He is preceded in death by his parents, Carl Wayne and Juanita Marie Tipton.
A Gathering of Family and Friends will be held at the Coffeyville Country Club, located at 1322 N. Inglewood Avenue in Coffeyville, KS, on Saturday, July 13th at 2pm with Mr. Harold Thomas presiding. The family very much hope that attendees will be willing to share stories, memories, and other reflections with attendees of the service, either written or spoken, to help us celebrate the big life that he led. We also invite you to share your memories of Tom and upload photos to the memorial page at www.dwbfh.com. If you have a memory that you would like to share but feel too shy to do so in person at the memorial, please indicate as such when you share it on the webpage so that your story can be read on your behalf by someone in attendance.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorials in honor of Tom’s life to be made to the American Association for Cancer Research or the American Cancer Society. Memorials may be left with the funeral home.
David W. Barnes Funeral Home will be handling the funeral arrangements.
