John Tippets biography by Wayne Tippets Biography of my brother John Tippets started on June 20th 1990 at Rosebud Indian Reservation, Rosebud, South Dakota.
John, I guess you could say, was the one brother while growing up that I had the most trouble with. Undoubtedly it was mostly my fault. It seems like I was the great tormentor in the family and had someone angry at me most of the time. John was a purty hot tempered kid, especially right after he got out of the service during his first hitch during the 2nd World War.
John was a tease just like the rest of the Tippetses and in the same respect as I was, we neither one knew when to quit. We always went a little bit too far. Enough is enough, but we went past enough.
John was a grade behind Joe in school. I do not know why for he always seemed as smart as Joe in most things other than mechanics. He was always better at math than Joe was anyway, and it seemed like he was stronger than Joe was. Maybe it was that I fought with him more than I did with Joe. I cannot recall the grades he got in school, but I am sure they were at least average or above. And Joe, because he would not adapt himself, was not better or worse.
He was on the football team in Junior High School at Mound Fort. He definitely was no sissy. He would mix it up with anyone at any time on the field. I know of times when he was playing tackle on the football team and he would tackle one kid and trip another and grab the other one with his other hand. I do not know if he ever got caught doing this but if he did, it did not bother him. He would still play to win.
Both him and Joe took rotten old tc (ROTC) in high school. The one picture we had taken of our family, everyone except Maurine and Lucille was in it and both Joe and John had on their ROTC uniform and they looked neat. (Reserve Officer’s Training Course)
I cannot recall John having any job in the ward before they went into the Navy. He used to administer the sacrament sometimes. I do not recall him talking in church, but that would not surprise me for none of us would ever volunteer and others would so we would let them and John was no different.
He got his greetings to go in the Navy, I believe, right after they turned 18 and had their basic training at Farragut, Idaho. I do not know where he went to from basic but I do know he was on a, I think it was a battle ship tender. Do not ask me what a battle ship tender is unless it is ships that tend a battleship. He went on the Atlantic Ocean first and then he ended up in the Pacific and went to the islands down south of Hawaii. I know he crossed the International Dateline and got initiated on it, but don’t recall how unless they shaved his hair off or something like that.
I know one thing he did while doing this is to make wrist watch bands out of something like boondoggle but finer for he gave me one once and it was neat. He said he made one while on board ship and one of his buddies wanted to see it so he showed it to him and the kid dropped the watch overboard and I do not know what it meant but he said the kids had some skinned up knuckles after that. I never did figure out what happened, if John got mad and whipped him or if the kid just skinned up his knuckles trying to catch the watch. But whichever way, it is floating around in some whale’s belly now and probably still keeping good time. Just kidding. It is not still running. It has been about 50 years and maybe the whale may even be dead by now.
While he was on the East Coast dry dock, he was stationed fairly close to my brother, Reedy Pie, and went up and saw him one weekend, which both of them was all excited about. I think Reed had his girlfriend with him at the time. Or was it Les Gomm he went to see? One or the other. Or neither. They would come home on leave and I thought they looked so neat with their bell bottom trousers on, especially where John was a little bit bow legged like me. Every time he came home on leave he gave me one of his white caps and I even wore it to school and around town all the time. Ma would get angry because I got it dirty too often, but it was neat to just wear it. I never did try on their pants for I do not think I could unbutton those 13 buttons in time to make it to the potty. They had some kind of scarf they wore around their neck or neckerchief or something like that. One color for their whites and one for their blues.
I used to laugh at them for how much time they would spend polishing their shoes. They could just about see themselves in them and then they would polish them some more and would really cuss me when I would pick one up and get my fingerprints on one of them.
I cannot remember what islands he went to in the Pacific or if he made it to Japan. Do not know, but he was in it for close to four years. He did not learn how to fly an airplane like Joe did. As a matter of fact, he did not even learn how to drive a car till it was just about time to get married. Then not very good. I used to think he would be driving along and forget he was driving but that was just my imagination. Although I cannot recall if he ever got in a wreck or not. I know he did run off the road a couple of times. But who has not.
After the war, I think he went to work for Pillsbury. No, it was 2nd Street first and then Pillsbury, then called Globe Alone Mills. Along with Joe and Thad. And Tombstone Tayler.
Let me back up a few years to a cherry orchard in North Ogden where as kids right after we moved down here we all went and picked fruit all summer long. Anyway this one day these two brothers picked a fight with John and he told them he could whip both of them and so right in the orchard while Pappy was not looking they started to fight. One of the kids got on each side of John, one in front and the other in back and when John would swing at one the other would try to hit him from the back. John figured that out and doubled up his fists and spun around in a circle and this kept them at bay. Then one seen an opening and swung with all of his might and John ducked just at the right time and it caught his buddy right on the nose and cold cocked him and this ended the fight and I do not think they hit John at all and he did not hit them at all, just one buddy hit the other buddy. And I do not know if John knew what happened right then or not. I think he knew he did not knock the other kid down, but it was a good fight.
The rest of us stood there and laughed and laughed and laughed. I think he would have whipped them anyway for us Tippets’ was not any cream puffs and we was strong and for we had to work all the time to make us in good shape.
Now back to after the war. And John’s work. He went to college to learn to be a machinist with Thad. Thad was more adapted to doing things like that with his hands and John was not. It came to Thad naturally but John really had to work at it. And it made John a little bit upset for Thad would miss half of his classes and still was ahead of the rest of the class. And John never did miss and worked so hard to keep up but one difference. John finished the course and Thad never. Although when Thad told them he was cutting class they hired him anyway without finishing for he was that good but John finished it too and got hired too by Morquort.
I do not know why John did not stay with them but he did not for very darn long. And then he went to work as a fireman. Maybe he was doing both of them at once. I think he was and he did not like either one. I think it was in 1953 both him and Joe went to work for the railroad as switchmen and that is where they both retired from. Joe got retired years before John did.
I remember he went out with some girls, not too many. One night Clunk (Clarence Bassett) and I and John had dates with three sisters. The Dalton sisters. And they were duds. Anyway mine was. I was sitting in back very, very bored and my girl asked John if I had been drinking and had passed out. This made John madder than it did me for he said, “Wayne, your girl is drunk and wants to go home.” At the time Clunk pulled off to the side of the road and stopped and the girls said, “Let us out," and so Cluck stopped and they got out and started to walking. It was just above Wall on 17th Street. We pulled up long side of them and told them to come and get in the car and we would take them home for we all was not ignorant. They said not until they got an apology from us. I said I never had anything to apologize for and John said he never had anything to apologize for and Cluck did not say anything but after asking them twice and them turning us down both times, we just told them goodbye and went on home and went to bed.
They only lived on 7th Street above Washington so it was not too far a hike for them and they had maybe cooled off by then. They were all three red heads and from then on we always kidded each other about red heads. And do not lose your temper like red heads do.
John never got interested in girls that much until he met Colleen and she did it. She caved him in. She sunk his ship. She shot him down. She hung him high. She lowered the boom on him. She knocked him for a loop. She eradicated his freedom. In other words, she hooked him.
It was not easy. I recall Pappy saying, “John, call that gal from Hooper and go get her. She is a nice gal.” I do not know if he took the initiative or if she did but maybe it was both of their dads wanting to get rid of both of them. I really did not know how they did get together for they were so far apart socially. She was a school teacher and had been on a mission, and her folks was kinda high class folks as high class as a farmer can be, that is. And sometimes, well most of the times that is not very high class.
I will tell you a little bit about Colleen now, as much as I can recall. And I will try to tell it nice too. Well, maybe I had not better say anything for it would be taken wrong and that would be terrible, for Colleen was a sweet, sweet gal. And Barbara and I went with them to get married in the Salt Lake Temple. Only one thing I can say bad about her and that is that they chose not to have Joe as John’s best man at the funeral, woops, wedding. Just kidding.
It took her some years before she got used to us boys and then it took Joyce, I think, to convince her that we was not going to change and if she wanted to stay happy with John she had better be the changer. It so happened we all changed, I think. Well, no, I guess it was her that did the most changing.
John always did like kids. This ran in the family though. And when they started putting out kids, he was prouder of his than anything. Well, he just showed it more than we did, for we are all proud of our kids.
They bought a house in Hooper, where else, and remodeled it and fixed it up pretty nice and they lived in it for a few years and then they built a new one just up the ditch from the old one. And that is where they are still living.
Continuation of John Tippets history, June 24, 1992. I am not sure where I left off at but will just take a wild guess.
I cannot recall of any position John had in the ward prior to getting married, although I am sure that he would have had some. I cannot remember all of them that I did have, let alone his. I think I had got to them getting married in SL temple. For Barbara and myself went down there with them and it was a good experience. I am not sure if I had mentioned it before about Joe not being John’s best man at their reception. I believe the kid’s name was Green. I think he was the one that introduced them to each other.
I think I got off on the wrong foot with Colleen from day one. I told her I was going to drag a pot full of orange juice and wieners around the dance floor and have them all take a drink of it and she told me if I did I would get the whole thing right in my face, even if it ruined her wedding, she would do it and I really think at that time she would have done. Yep, you are right, I did not do it. It would not have been any fun there anyway. Now I think if I did it at one of her kids’ weddings, she would not mind it. She may not like it but she would not murder me at dawn for doing it but you do not need to worry, I really think those days are done for me for I hate to have folks hating me all of the time.
But anyway, they did have it in the Hope Ward and it was a nice reception. I do not think John is a good dancer like the rest of us was not a good dancers so I don’t think they had the wedding waltz, or whatever it is called. Maybe it was the Hawaiian Love Song. For that is where they went on their honeymoon 30 some odd years later.
John lost a little girl, Cindy, when she was only 4 or 5 years old and it affects you a lot to lose one of your loved ones. Let me see if I can name off all their kids. Jeff, Peggy, Lisa, Cindy, Jim, Jeanette, and I think that is all of them. You did not think I could do it, did you? Maybe I did not do it right. I know they are not in order but I could do that if I had to, except Cindy.
John and Colleen teachered a Sunday School class for a few years. I think it was a bunch of girls for he called them all prunes or plums or figs or something. Evidently he enjoyed it for he was talking about it all the time and that is when you enjoy something is when you talk about it. If not, you sorta do not say anything. I think John carried the club and Colleen taught them, or is that teached them? So she was when John married her, a school teacher.
I think she quit teaching after their first or second or third or fourth or fifth or sixth kid, somewhere in there.
I remember one time we all was up canyon to a picnic and was playing volleyball and I hit the ball and it hit Colleen in the head and she really got upset at me and it was my fault for I did hit the ball, although I am not a good enough shot to hit any one person, if my life depended on it. And at that time it just about did end right there and then. No need to say that ended my volleyball playing for quite a few years with family and I loved to play it too. It seemed like I was always in hot water with my family, and I guess I should have moved away long, long, long ago far, far away in the middle of Siberia.
I always did like her folks. They was a little bit different but aren’t we all? They sure did treat John fine, as far as I know.
John always supported us in our store. A few times he got upset at me. Most times I did not know why for it is easy to get folks upset at you when you are in business. It is tough on one side to have to pay a little bit extra sometimes for I was on some things, but not very many I do not think. And they supported me right up to the day I closed, I think.
John, I believe was the best green thumber in the family. No, I know he was the best green thumber. With Reed a close second. He always had a big garden and trees and everything. He grew everything except coconuts and pineapples and he could undoubtedly grow them but maybe not in Hooper. He always had the sourest rhubarb and the sweetest apples of anyone.
He is an apartment owner too. As a matter of fact, he has owned more than one, maybe two or three and he seems to do okay on them. I did not think he would for he is too goodhearted to crack down on renters when they get behind or so I thought. Maybe not. He may be hardnosed, for it is his money they are stealing.
John used to never be able to fix anything any better than did I. I think the reason was that Joe was there to do it and he did not have to but nowadays I think he can fix anything as fast as Joe, well, except cars. Other things like lawn mowers and tillers and such he can keep up without anyone.
John and Colleen have worked in the temple on assignments for a long time, I think, longer than anyone else in our family except Reed and he was a worker so he had an advantage on them there. I know he did initiatory and sealings and maybe even did the floors. And I really believe he would be dedicated as much as anyone in the country and he would always be to stake meetings. For until recently we all was in the same stake and he would be to meetings, all of them. I was too, if he should have been. I know he worked on their church while they were building it a lot and maybe others also. For John was not afraid of work. But neither was I. I could lay down by the side of it and go to sleep.
I do not think John went on any more vacations than did we. I know I have not heard him tell of many, but I could be mistaken there. I know he used to sharp soot (sharp shoot?) at railroad and work most holidays for he would figure out how to do it so he would get paid two times and a half, or maybe more. I think he said he had earned $300 in one day, maybe more. It seems like it was more than that. And he seems to save it like the rest of us Tippets do. Buys what he needs and some of his wants.
He bought Joe’s plane ticket to Hawaii for him a couple of years ago but Joe still did not go but John was willing to do that for he knew that he would enjoy it more with Joe along for after all he is his twin, and it would have been nice but especially nice for John and Joe. If he could ever gone. Joe says he will go next time if we do go next time, and it will be great if he and Reed did go. And they will if their wives let them. Maybe my wife won’t let me go.
Recently both John and Colleen have been ailing some. Both having trouble with their legs, and that is too bad for they have always been so active and able.
I think John votes Democratic sometimes and sometimes he does vote for Republicans and sometimes for Independents and sometimes for no one and that is just like my wife’s husband. And he calls them the way he sees them and that is the way it should be regardless of party affiliation. Now Joe is different, I think. Like the rest of the family, he is a diehard BYU fan and does not miss any games on TV, although I can tell you how many games he has gone down to see. He keeps up on news better than anyone else, well, except Thad maybe.
I remember once John going duck hunting and these two big birds flew over and John pulled up and shot twice and both of them came tumbling down to the ground and all of a sudden he was the only one on the whole bank for he had shot two …(record ends there.)