Alan Lipke

Alan K. Lipke, 77, of Jackson passed away Thursday, May 24, 2018, at Life Care Center in Cape Girardeau.

He was born March 7, 1941, in Aurora, Illinois, son of LeRoy and Bonnie Talley Lipke. He and Sally Lenz were married June 6, 1964, at Zion Lutheran Church in Marengo, Illinois.

Alan, or "Mr. Lipke," to thousands of St. Paul Lutheran School students, spent most of his life in a school environment. After graduating from East Aurora High School in 1959, he attended Concordia Teachers College in River Forest, Illinois, graduating in 1964.

From there he began his teaching career in Evansville, Indiana, where he taught and served as athletic director at St. Paul Lutheran School until 1966. He then became the athletic director and taught at St. Paul Lutheran School in Aurora for nearly 13 years. In 1979, he accepted teaching and athletic director positions at St. Paul Lutheran School in Jackson, where he became principal within a couple of years. For a while, he was a student and a principal and eventually earned a master's degree in elementary administration from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau in 1986.

Alan founded the St. Paul Lutheran School Foundation and served the school for 24 years before retiring in 2003.

His first year after retirement, Alan was co-principal of Saxony Lutheran High School. He then worked several years for the Cape County Juvenile Office.

Alan was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church and the St. Paul Men's Club.

Loving survivors include his wife of 53 years, Sally Lipke; a son, Scott (Ashley) Lipke of Jackson; a daughter, Lisa White of Jackson; four grandchildren, Parker, Layton and Kate Lipke and Kenton White; a sister, Diane Kollwelter Drake of Sandwich, Illinois; and nieces and nephews, Mike (Carleen) Jany, Michelle Jany, Julie Valentin and Kurt Kollwelter.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Larry Lipke.

Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson and from 10 to 11 a.m. Monday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson.

Funeral will be at 11 a.m. Monday at the church, with the Revs. Jason Shaw and Eric Longman officiating. Interment will be in Russell Heights Cemetery in Jackson.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the St. Paul Lutheran School Foundation.

Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.mccombsfuneralhome.com.