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COCOA, Flo. -- Richard "Rusty" (Howard) Van Sipe, age 99, of Cocoa Florida passed away on Tuesday, August 11, at Vitas Hospice facility in Rockledge Florida. He was born on Aug. 16, 1926 in Spratt Michigan to Russell and Florence Van Sipe. Rusty graduated from Alpena high school. His number one love was baseball. He was an avid fan of the Detroit Tigers starting in 1935 when he heard them win the world series at the age of nine. He was accepted by the St. Louis Cardinals but had to decline because he got drafted into WWII and served in Japan.
He then joined the Michigan State Police in 1949, his first post was in Battle Creek Michigan.There he met and married the Love of his life Mary Havens at Greely Baptist Church in Lachine Michigan on March 25, 1950. He was also sent to the Brighton Post and Jackson post. Then transferred to the Gladstone post where he became a Lieutenant and the Post Commander.
He retired in 1975 and moved to Florida for the winters and always came back to Delta County in Michigan around the end of April, and stayed next door to his daughter and son-in-law Vicki and Tim Caron. Rusty and Mary enjoyed their summers. Rusty was an avid golfer up into his 90s. He enjoyed puzzling and reading his baseball digest everyday. Rusty and Mary visited every baseball stadium in the United States and took two trips to Germany. They were married for 72 years.
Rusty is survived by daughters Vicki (Tim) and Debi and Son Ricki and sister-in-law Judy Davis. And several nieces and nephews. He has seven grandchildren and seven great grandchildren and one great great grandchild. He is preceded in death by five sisters Francis, Hilda, Gladys, Mable, Annette, brother Eddie and his parents Russell and Florence.
Services was held on Saturday, Aug. 15, at Wylie-Baxley Funeral Home, 1360 N Courtenay Pkway, Merritt Island, FL. Visitation will be from 10 to 11 a.m. followed by a funeral service from 11 to 12. Veterans memorial ceremony immediately followed at Cocoa Memorial Park and Cremation Gardens, 320 Spring Street, Cocoa, FL.