Thomas Wesley Tipton

Thomas W. Tipton, age 62, of Lusby, Maryland died suddenly on June 13, 2014. Born in Oknulgee, Oklahoma on May 12, 1952, he was the son of John and Dean Tipton. He was raised in Henryetta, Oklahoma and graduated from Henryetta High School in 1970. Tom attended William Penn College in Iowa before enlisting into the Navy in 1972. Tom's first duty station was at VF-101, Oceana, Virginia, afterwhich he completed a tour at U.S. Naval Station Keflavick, Iceland. His next assignment was as a Company Commander at Recruit Training Command, Great Lake, Illinois. From 1983 to 1990, Tom was a P-3 Flight Engineer assigned to VP-26, Brunswick, Maine. He was assigned to Force Warfare, NAS Patuxent River, prior to his retirement. His awards include the Navy Achievement Medal, Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation, Coast Guard Unit Commendation, Navy 'E' Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, and the Sea Service Deployment. After retiring from the Navy in 1993, Tom continued to work in the aviation field as a Quality Assurance Inspector until his death. He was a member of the Dominion Apostolic Ministries Church. Tom was preceded in death by his father. He is survived by his wife Evelyn Tipton of Lusby, Maryland, children Jonathan Tipton of Maryland, Samuel Tipton and Stacey Tipton of Oklahoma. He is also survived by his mother, Dean Tipton of Henryetta, Oklahoma, brother Steve Tipton and his wife Peggy of Shawnee, Oklahoma, his sister Joy Tipton of Dallas, Texas, sisters-in-law Toni Griseto, Libby Stegner and her husband Mark of Pennsylvania, along with a niece and nephews. A memorial service will be held on Sunday at 1:00pm, June 22, 2014 at the Henryetta Free Will Baptist Church, Henryetta, Oklahoma. A memorial service will be held in Maryland at a later date with burial at Arlington National Cemetary. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Dominion Apostolic Ministries 20850 Langley Road, Great Mills, Maryland 20634 or the Marine Corps Toys for Tots Foundation P.O. Box 4002896 Des Moines, Iowa 50340.