Atkinson,NH:: Rear Admiral Herbert R. Lippold, Jr., NOAA, (Ret.) age 98 of Atkison, died peacefully at his home on March 31, 2025, surrounded by his loving and supportive family.
Born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, son of the late Herbert R. and Marion (Eyers) Lippold, Herb was raised in Methuen and graduated from Tenney Memorial High School with the Class of 1944. He spent his summers with his family at Conley's Grove on Big Island Pond beginning a long and happy association with his family's summer camp. He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps at the end of World War Two and spent two years in Germany searching for lost pilots and crew that went down during the war.
Following his honorable discharge, he attended New England College in Henniker, NH, as a member of the first graduating class and received his Liberal Arts Degree in 1949 and went on to the University of New Hampshire, receiving his Civil Engineering Degree in 1950. Following graduation, Herb was recruited by the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, which became the National Ocean Service, a branch of NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). Commissioned as an Ensign, he was assigned to ships that did primarily hydrographic mapping of the oceans and coasts all over the globe including work in Hawaii and the Arctic.
In 1954, Herb met and married his wife Dorothy I. "Dee" Mills. Together they raised four children, Randy, Rick, Rod and Dawn. He was assigned to Hawaii and placed in charge of the Tsunami Warning System throughout the Pacific and after two years Herb was assigned as the Accounting Officer on a ship tasked with mapping the west coast for shipping routes. He was later assigned to Geodesy installing markers for other surveyors and spent two years doing Geodetic work up and down the east coast of the United States before moving on to work with the U.S. Air Force in Orlando, FL installing latitude and longitudes for missile systems throughout the U. S.  As a Commander, Herb served for two years as the Assistant Chief of Geodesy in Washington, DC before being named as a Captain of the 300-foot "Oceanographer" traveling the world and involved in ocean research. Promoted to Rear Admiral he received a presidential appointment as Director of the Pacific Marine Center in Seattle and later appointed as Director of the National Ocean Service. He was also a presidential appointee to the Mississippi River Commission.
In 1983, after thirty-seven years of government service, and making their permanent home on Big Island Pond, Herb retired, and he and Dee  spent winters sailing the Bahamas in their thirty-seven-foot Ketch Rig. During that time, they were also renovating their camp into a year-round home.
A longtime member of the Atkinson Congregational Church, Herb served as a trustee for twelve years and was named Trustee Emeritus. He was also a member and past President of the New Hampshire Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America. Herb was also active with the Big Island Pond Corporation serving as president for twelve years and known and appreciated by the residents as a man who could fix anything or solve any problem. He possessed mechanical and building skills and volunteered his services and his backhoe to help anyone who needed assistance on their property. Herb enjoyed sailing, working on his home, traveling, especially visiting family in Washington state and scaling all the mountains in the Presidential Range in New Hampshire.
Herb will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by his loving and devoted wife of seventy-one years, Dorothy I.  (Mills) Lippold, three sons, Randy H. Lippold and his longtime companion, Claudia of Naches, WA, Richard M. Lippold and his wife Mary of Seattle, WA, Rodney M. Lippold of Atkinson, and daughter, Dawn I. Johnson and her husband Garrick of Bedford, NH; ten grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; and many cousins.
Relatives and friends are invited to his funeral to be held on Sunday, April 6, 2025 at 2 p.m. in Atkinson Congregational Church, Main Street., Atkinson. A reception will immediately follow the service in Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial donations be made to: Atkinson Elder Services, 4 Main St. Atkinson or to Atkinson Congregational Church, 101 Main St., Atkinson. To send a message of condolence to the family please visit; brooksidechapelfh.com