Roberta Mae Kipp

Roberta Mae Kipp was called home the evening of April 22, 2024, after ninety-seven years of making the most of her time. She is survived by her sons, James and Terry, their wives Judy and Diane; her grandchildren: Matthew Kipp and Heidi Armstrong, Matt’s partner Jeanette West and Heidi’s husband Jason Armstrong; her great-grandchildren: Cassandra and Alexander Kipp, Elizabeth Vlietstra, and Lilly and Evan Armstrong; her cousin Debbie and Debbie’s husband Bill Morrison; and extended family Sandra and Timothy Lewis. She is also survived by many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Roberta was preceded in death by husband Samuel; her parents; and her siblings, Joyce, JoAnn, Ronald, and Boyd.

Born in Lake City, Iowa on April 17, 1927 to the late Frank and Florence (DeSart) Bauder, Bobbie was devoted to her parents and siblings. Bobbie became a housewife, serving as a passionate, sweet, involved community force. Bobbie moved to Kalamazoo County, where she met her soon-to-be husband Sam Kipp. The couple commanding a roller rink’s full attention with their skating skill on several occasions, one of her proudest stories. They raised their two sons in a house they had built, and when Sam, known as Skip, passed in 1993 after forty-seven years together, she never remarried.

Through her life, Bobbie owned a great number of dogs she walked miles through the neighborhood daily into her nineties. A green thumb cultivated a beautiful yard; avid reading a powerful mind. Insatiable creativity came out through volunteer work. Bobbie volunteered at the original and new Portage Senior Center. Running the Needler’s Club, she taught crochet and knitting, and distributed hats to those in need. She also taught ceramics courses from the late 1950s to the 1980s from her basement. She was a happy participant in pen pal programs, writing letters to youths until her hands couldn’t anymore. Likewise, she volunteered intensively at her church into her nineties, organizing and working events. 

Bobbie was a spunky, beautiful woman with a heart that cared forcefully and received the same in return. While the world is less bright with the loss of her adorable smile, the fact it was here at all, making the best and busiest possible use of her time, permanently brightened everyone and everything it touched.

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