Obituary for Peter A. Flipse
Peter A. Flipse, 92, formerly of Paterson, Brick and Point Pleasant Borough, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 4, 2020 at Sunnyside Manor in Wall Township.
He was predeceased by his loving wife, Joan (Connor) Flipse in 2002 and by his grandson, Peter Flipse Dorian, in 2003. Surviving are his five devoted daughters, Pamela Fuchs and her husband, Ricu, of New York City; Robyn Flipse of Bradley Beach; Petrice DiVanno and her husband, Anthony, of Sandy Hook, CT; Kristen Nolan and her husband, Kevin, of Brielle; and Maarti DeFonce and her husband, Christopher, of Oceanport. He was the proud grandfather of Philip, Kaitlyn, Jessica, Ariella, Naomi, Rachel, Jack, Jared, Joy, Max, and Olivia and great-grandfather of Carolina and Sam, as well as one expectant great- grandson on the way this month.
Born and raised in Paterson, NJ, to Johannes Flipse and Maartje Rijnsent-Flipse of the Netherlands, Peter proudly served his country in the US Navy during WWII aboard the USS Colorado from 1944-1946. He returned to NJ to complete his secondary education at Morristown Preparatory School where he excelled academically and as a 3-letter athlete in football, ice hockey and basketball. He met his future bride while registering for classes at Paterson State College in 1948. Pete and Joan married in 1950 and began their lives together in Paterson. While working as the chief surveyor for the construction of the Garden State Parkway from 1952 to 1960 Peter discovered the charming little seashore town of Point Pleasant at Exit 96. He told Joan about it so they hopped on to Route 9 South one weekend to visit and decided that’s where they wanted to be. The couple moved to Point Pleasant Borough in 1955 and together raised their five daughters and served that community for over fifty years. One of his proudest achievements was serving two terms on the Point Pleasant Borough Board of Education (BOE) from 1962 to 1966 during the construction of the first high school in the Boro.
Peter’s time on the BOE helped him realize he wanted to be able to transfer his knowledge and experience in the construction trade to future generations. Thus began his transition into the field of education by attending evening and summer classes to earn a B.S. in Education from Trenton State College in the 1970s and an M.S. in Urban Education Administration from Jersey City State College in 1980s. His first job as an educator was teaching building trades at the Brick Center of the Ocean County Vocational-Technical School system (OCVTS) where he set a precedent by taking his students from the classroom to “the field” to put their skills to practical use. Among his students’ many achievements was the construction of a large storage shed behind the Southern Regional High School in Waretown that saved local taxpayers over $60,000 in labor costs, the building of 30 picnic tables and benches for the Township of Ocean parks department that the Deputy Mayor said were better constructed than the ones purchased through a commercial supplier, and the erection of a gazebo for the Waretown Recreation Area needed for the 1980 Memorial Day celebration.
He remained a valued employee of the OCVTS for 25 years, serving as both a vice principal and later a principal before his retirement in 1993. Peter was also a dedicated member of the Free and Accepted Masons of Point Pleasant Beach, Durand Lodge and the BPOE Elks Lodge 1698 of Point Pleasant Beach.
In their “spare time” as teachers, Peter and Joan decided to build a house on Lake Bomoseen in Castleton, VT as a family get-away. They started in 1973 and gradually built that home-away-from-home that became a welcoming oasis for family and friends for over 55 years.
After Joan’s death in 2002, Peter moved to the Greenbriar II Community in Brick in 2006 where he continued his life of service to others in the many clubs and community activities he participated in there. Because of the declining bird population, he built at least 100 bird houses to Audubon specifications and installed them on various properties, making sure residents knew how to clean out the nests and debris each year to make room for new bird families.
A memorial visitation will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2020 from 4 to 6pm at the O’Brien Funeral Home, 505 Burnt Tavern Road, Brick. In lieu of flowers, a donation in Peter’s name to the Fulfill Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean County, Neptune City; Common Ground Grief Center, Manasquan; or to Sandy Hook Promise, Sandy Hook, CT would be greatly appreciated. Please send condolences or share a memory, which would mean a lot to the family.
He was predeceased by his loving wife, Joan (Connor) Flipse in 2002 and by his grandson, Peter Flipse Dorian, in 2003. Surviving are his five devoted daughters, Pamela Fuchs and her husband, Ricu, of New York City; Robyn Flipse of Bradley Beach; Petrice DiVanno and her husband, Anthony, of Sandy Hook, CT; Kristen Nolan and her husband, Kevin, of Brielle; and Maarti DeFonce and her husband, Christopher, of Oceanport. He was the proud grandfather of Philip, Kaitlyn, Jessica, Ariella, Naomi, Rachel, Jack, Jared, Joy, Max, and Olivia and great-grandfather of Carolina and Sam, as well as one expectant great- grandson on the way this month.
Born and raised in Paterson, NJ, to Johannes Flipse and Maartje Rijnsent-Flipse of the Netherlands, Peter proudly served his country in the US Navy during WWII aboard the USS Colorado from 1944-1946. He returned to NJ to complete his secondary education at Morristown Preparatory School where he excelled academically and as a 3-letter athlete in football, ice hockey and basketball. He met his future bride while registering for classes at Paterson State College in 1948. Pete and Joan married in 1950 and began their lives together in Paterson. While working as the chief surveyor for the construction of the Garden State Parkway from 1952 to 1960 Peter discovered the charming little seashore town of Point Pleasant at Exit 96. He told Joan about it so they hopped on to Route 9 South one weekend to visit and decided that’s where they wanted to be. The couple moved to Point Pleasant Borough in 1955 and together raised their five daughters and served that community for over fifty years. One of his proudest achievements was serving two terms on the Point Pleasant Borough Board of Education (BOE) from 1962 to 1966 during the construction of the first high school in the Boro.
Peter’s time on the BOE helped him realize he wanted to be able to transfer his knowledge and experience in the construction trade to future generations. Thus began his transition into the field of education by attending evening and summer classes to earn a B.S. in Education from Trenton State College in the 1970s and an M.S. in Urban Education Administration from Jersey City State College in 1980s. His first job as an educator was teaching building trades at the Brick Center of the Ocean County Vocational-Technical School system (OCVTS) where he set a precedent by taking his students from the classroom to “the field” to put their skills to practical use. Among his students’ many achievements was the construction of a large storage shed behind the Southern Regional High School in Waretown that saved local taxpayers over $60,000 in labor costs, the building of 30 picnic tables and benches for the Township of Ocean parks department that the Deputy Mayor said were better constructed than the ones purchased through a commercial supplier, and the erection of a gazebo for the Waretown Recreation Area needed for the 1980 Memorial Day celebration.
He remained a valued employee of the OCVTS for 25 years, serving as both a vice principal and later a principal before his retirement in 1993. Peter was also a dedicated member of the Free and Accepted Masons of Point Pleasant Beach, Durand Lodge and the BPOE Elks Lodge 1698 of Point Pleasant Beach.
In their “spare time” as teachers, Peter and Joan decided to build a house on Lake Bomoseen in Castleton, VT as a family get-away. They started in 1973 and gradually built that home-away-from-home that became a welcoming oasis for family and friends for over 55 years.
After Joan’s death in 2002, Peter moved to the Greenbriar II Community in Brick in 2006 where he continued his life of service to others in the many clubs and community activities he participated in there. Because of the declining bird population, he built at least 100 bird houses to Audubon specifications and installed them on various properties, making sure residents knew how to clean out the nests and debris each year to make room for new bird families.
A memorial visitation will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2020 from 4 to 6pm at the O’Brien Funeral Home, 505 Burnt Tavern Road, Brick. In lieu of flowers, a donation in Peter’s name to the Fulfill Foodbank of Monmouth and Ocean County, Neptune City; Common Ground Grief Center, Manasquan; or to Sandy Hook Promise, Sandy Hook, CT would be greatly appreciated. Please send condolences or share a memory, which would mean a lot to the family.