PoleVaultPower.com

This was sent by our head of officials, Bruce Colman.

John was my favorite official with which to work. And I'm not saying that just because he died.

________________

Dear friends, fellow PA officials, colleagues,

As many of you know already, John Lipsey died early Friday morning, the 10th. The cause was a massive heart attack.

There will be a Memorial Service for John this Thursday

Location: Allen & Dahl Funeral Chapel
21853 Topland Drive
Palo Cedro, CA 96073

Time: noon to 2 PM

After the service, from 3 to 6 PM, there will be a gathering at the Cottonwood Community Center, 20595 Gas Point Road, Cottonwood, California 96022. Directions will be provided at the Memorial Service.

Cards or letters of condolence may be sent to:

Sandra Lipsey (sons Chris and Curt Lipsey)
3871 Rancho Estates Rd
Cottonwood, CA 96022

John was the best.

Yours in Sport,

Bruce Colman, Chair
Pacific Association Officials Committee
66 Rico Way
San Francisco 94123-1219
Ph/Fax : (415) 775 5450
Cell: (415) 710 5264
e-mail: chairbc@earthlink.net

Good Day, my name is Curtis Lipsey, John's youngest son.

Thanks for posting this so it may reach many people. It was amazing to see so many people show their suppot for my Dad and family. He truly loved Track and Field and the time he had officiating. He spoke fondly of his times and friends that he met while enjoying one of his true passions.

Thanks again,
Curtis

Curtis,

My name is Wilson SooHoo. Your father and I worked together many times over the years. As Bruce Colman said so well:

John was the best.

I'm very sorry for your loss, which was also a tremendous loss for us all.

Wilson

http://www.andersonvalleypost.com/news/ ... hn-lipsey/

Running in memory of John Lipsey
Tracye Dethero, Contributing Writer news@andersonvalleypost.com
Posted September 15, 2009 at 10:51 a.m.

RUNNING IN HIS MEMORY: Members of the Cottonwood Community leave the starting line at the John Lipsey Memorial Run at North Cottonwood School, Saturday September 12th.
Approximately 70 people met at North Cottonwood School to attend a 5k run, which has been held the past three years to raise money for the Cottonwood Community Park. The race was called "The Salmon Run", but was renamed the John Lipsey Memorial Run, after John Lipsey, a local coach, mentor, and track judge.

Lipsey was a huge part of the Cottonwood Community, coaching local youth in the running world. He was also a judge for the sport in the Pacific Association, which is a part of USA Track and Field, and specialized in the pole vault. At the college level, Lipsey has had pole-vaulting events named after him at California State University, Chico and at University of California, Davis.

Lipsey passed away in April of this year from Coronary Artery Disease at the age of 68. On hand at the Memorial Run were his wife Sandy of Cottonwood and his youngest son Curtis Lipsey who traveled from Florida to run in the event.

"It means a lot for me to be here," said the younger Lipsey. "It's great to see people who came out to support him, to honor him and seeing the people that my dad had touched their lives. It is the least I can do, is to be out here for him and for my mom.

John Lipsey had participated in the track program at the University of Maine at Orono, and then went on to coach for the University of Tennessee. When the family moved to Cottonwood, Lipsey worked in the timber industry and upon retirement he began officiating and coaching track and cross-country. Lipesy's oldest son Christopher of Los Angeles was unable to travel to participate in the event.

"John would have been honored to have the run named after him," said Lipsey's wife of 40 years, Sandy. "Most of the people that are here running are people whose lives he touched in one way or another."

Carri Longnecker was one of the coordinators of the event. Fleet Feet of Redding did the official timing.

The first five runners to finish the race were: David Braund of Cottonwood, Mike Galigan of Nevada City, Justin Hale of Cottonwood, Ryan Teesdale of Redding and Garrett Sanders of Red Bluff.