Obituary of Lawrence David Tipton

Lawrence David Tipton February 24, 1965 - May 28, 2008 Lawrence David Tipton, Jr., beloved father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle, and friend, passed away on May 28, 2008 at the young age of 43. He was born in Houston, TX on February 24, 1965 to Lawrence David Tipton, Sr. and JoAnn Virginia Tipton. Almost everyone knew him by his nickname “Larry” but his grandchildren affectionately deemed him “Papa Bear”, while friends called him “Larry Bear.” Larry was a bear of a man, standing 6 feet and 4 inches tall. He had an enormous heart, openly affectionate, and loving. His children meant everything to him and he considered his many, many friends his family. He was a loving man, caring deeply for his children as well as his friends. Larry also loved to laugh and was extremely good at making jokes. He was truly the Larry in “hi-LARRY-ious.” He may have been a bear of a man, but Larry was very much a knight at heart. He always stood up for the little guy and could not tolerate injustice. He was a regular at the Texas Renaissance Festival and a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA). His SCA name was “Karv” and he was an agile and quick sword fighter. Larry spent the last 15 years working as a wrecker driver where he befriended hundreds of people. Larry was truly a noble man, of kind heart and jovial spirit. He always went out of his way to make sure that all his friends knew they were his family. He will be deeply missed and the legacy of his kindness will not be forgotten. He was preceded in death by his mother, JoAnn Tipton. He is survived by Lorai O’Gorman, father Lawrence Tipton, Sr., daughters Nicole Vitales and Julio, Jennifer Ellison, sisters Camille Tipton and Rich Wagner, Laurel Tipton, Dr. Victoria Williams and La’Mont, grandchildren Alexa Vitales, Daniel Vitales, Joseph David Vitales, nieces Avalon Wagner, Rayne Williams, and a very large and loving extended family of uncles, aunts, cousins, and friends. Visitation will be held Tuesday June 3, 2008 at 9AM- 12PM at Paul U. Lee La Porte Funeral Home. Services will be held immediately following visitation at 12 PM. In lieu of usual remembrances, donation may be made to Victoria Williams for the Lawrence David Tipton, Jr. Memorial Fund at Wachovia Bank.