Obituaries

Paul H. Whipple, 75, of Easton, PA died December 16, 2011 in the VNA Hospice of St. Lukes.

Born: March 9, 1936 in Kent City, MO he was the son of the late Benjamin and Mabel VanGundy Whipple. His wife of 49 years, the former Laura Biery died in August of 2011.

Personal: After graduating from the University of Kansas with a degree in Electrical Engineering he began work with Bell Labs in New Jersey. In the early 1960’s he was assigned to Hawaii to work on laying the first transpacific communications cable under the ocean from the US to Hawaii. During this time he earned a Masters in Electrical Engineering from NYU and transferred to Washington DC. In Washington, he worked as a NASA contractor on the Saturn rockets that powered the Apollo space missions. In his later career, he managed projects to lay the groundwork for FIOS fiber optic cable networks, which connect our communities today. 
He will be best remembered for being a devoted husband and father. He and his wife Laura traveled to many places across Europe and the US, always looking forward to their next destination. They loved music and the arts. He was devoted to Laura, and took loving care of her through her illness and death earlier in 2011. April 2012 would have been their 50th wedding anniversary. As a father, Paul created many meaningful memories for his children and grandchildren.  He knew how to find the fun in everyday living, and share it with his kids. His children and grandchildren will miss his stories and ideas.

Memberships: Paul was a member of College Hill Presbyterian Church, Easton and served as treasurer for Christ Presbyterian Church in Martinsville, NJ for many years. He was committed to volunteer work and in retirement managed a charitable trust for a friend.

Survivors:  Sons: Brian of N. Andover, MA; Steven and his wife Laura of Takoma Park, MD; daughter: Jennifer of Bexley, OH; and 6 grandchildren.

Services: A Memorial Service will be held 2:00 p.m. Saturday, January 21, 2012 in the College Hill Presbyterian Church, 501 Brodhead St., Easton, PA; the Ashton Funeral Home, Easton is handling the arrangements.

Memorials: may be made to ProJeCt of Easton, 320 Ferry St., Easton, PA 18042.