George Hobart Sipes Jr., 90, of Decatur passed away September 8, 2013. Born in Madison County Tenn., he was preceded in death by his parents, George Hobart Sipes and Mary Ruth Hundley Sipes; brothers, James Sipes and Robert “Buster” Sipes; and sisters, Helen Haney and Elizabeth McCauley.
Survivors include his true love and wife of 63 years, Dorothy Byrum Sipes; sisters, Louise Hopper and Faye Johnson, both of Jackson, Tenn.; sister Ileen Shoemaker of Huntsville; children, Tom Sipes (Patty) and Pamela Sipes Rogers, all of Decatur; as well as many nieces and nephews.
He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, serving as a bombardier first with the U.S. Army Air Forces, then the U.S. Air Force. He flew 50 missions during the Korean War. He graduated in 1950 from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.
He retired in 1991 from the U.S. Army Missile Command, where his last job was that of Product Improvement Proposals Coordinator for the Research, Development and Engineering Center.
He was a passionate Bible scholar and longtime member of First Baptist Church of Decatur, where he taught a men’s Sunday school class for many years. In 1968 and 1969, he served as president of the Decatur High School Band Boosters. He was also a member of a weekly men’s Bible study group as well as the Morgan County Master Gardeners.
The funeral will be held, Wednesday, September 11, 2013, at 3 p.m. at Stephenson Chapel of First Baptist Church, Decatur, with the Reverend Roger Jenkins officiating. Family will receive friends at the Stephenson Chapel from 1 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday and interment will be immediately following the service at Roselawn Cemetery, Decatur.
Pallbearers are Sam Campbell, Jim Crawley, Don Hodges, Jerrold Landers, John Overcamp and Gordon Scheet. Honorary pallbearers are members of the Carl Kuby-Bob Christian Men’s Sunday school class at First Baptist Church.
