Kip DeVore Thompson, 65 of Grantsville, Utah, passed away on 28 December 2024
from heart and kidney failure. Ever the storyteller, Kip decided it was time to write
the next chapter – whether we were ready or not.
Born on 27 November 1959 to Jimmie DeVore Thompson and Virginia Anne Burkel
in Marysville, California, Kip’s childhood was spent on different military bases
around the county as the family followed their father to various postings. Religion
was important to Kip even at an early age and with each move he would seek out a
local Christian church to attend. His father left the Air Force and took a position in
Defense Contracting, it was then in Anaheim that Kip was introduced to The Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by a neighbor boy, Roger Bell. He was baptized a
short while later.
Kip was a natural mischief-maker and the youngest of four. His childhood contained
many escapades that never failed to make his children laugh around the dinner table as
he told stories of his crazy childhood antics. Kip also started working at a young age
driving parts to various Long Beach oil rigs with a friend. It was his friend’s father’s
property, so no driver’s license needed. Not that they would give one to a fourteen year
old kid. Kip was always hardworking and often looked for ways to make extra money.
His high school career ended with a bang–literally. A firecracker mishap just days before
graduation resulted in his being cordially uninvited to join Loara High School’s class of
1978 for the ceremony when he would not name the culprits.
Kip served a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in
London, England, where he discovered two things: the joy of sharing the gospel
even in the rain and the deliciousness of ripe summer tomatoes. It was also on his mission
that he decided he wanted an eternal companion with the same dedication to the Lord and
His gospel. It was their example and Kip’s stories of those years, often hilariously
exaggerated, that inspired all seven of his children to follow in his footsteps and serve
missions of their own – something that made him prouder than any of his pranks.
Kip met Lanise Grover while attending Utah Valley State College. They were
married 17th December 1983 in the Los Angeles Temple. Together, they embarked on
the wild adventure of raising seven kids which included two sets of twins, 20 months apart.
Though life was rarely quiet with that gang, Kip found joy in the chaos, claiming his family
was his greatest accomplishment.
Kip worked for many years as an Emergency Management Professional. He had a knack
for turning chaos into calm. Kip loved preparing for disasters personally as well – though
his middle-of the-night fire drills and testing of 96-hour kits were less popular with his family.
Kip reunites in the afterlife with his father, mother, uncle Charlie and sister Joy, no doubt
already planning some heavenly hijinks.
He leaves behind his wife, Lanise, his sever children, Kacey (Mark), Nikki (Radu),
Curtis (Kaylee), Cory (Whitley), Holly (Michael), Wendy (Xavier), and Ben, eight grandchildren,
Chloe, Evie, Adaline, Tilly, Naomi, Luca, Thea and Jackson, two brothers Gary and Cole as
well as a legacy of love for Jesus, the Gospel of Christ and his fellow man.
Services will be held at the Hale Street LDS Meetinghouse (428 S. Hale St. Grantsville, Utah)
on 18 January 2025 with a Visiting of the Family from 10:30 am – 11:30 am and a
memorial Service at 12:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you honor Kip
by donating to Tunnels to Tower Foundations (t2t.org). Also please remember to cherish
your family, share a good laugh or pull a harmless prank.
Arrangements are in care of Dalton-Hoopes Funeral Home. 435-884-3031
4 Comments
I will never forget the fun and laughter we all shared with Kip! The weekend dances. Watching friendship grow into love. I know he loved his family with all his heart.
We love your family and rejoice in th Gospel as we know this separation is temporary. Bless you all!
I worked with Kip at the UofU in Emergency Management. I have never met a more prepared person than Kip. He loved teaching the basics and nuances of being prepared and having an emergency plan. And he loved what he preached.
He loved teaching and telling stories. He was always up for a prank and a joke.
Kip had an unending thirst for the news, and to learn about current events. It was fun listening to his stories.
We missed him after he left, and people still asked about him long after.
I will be praying for the family and all those he impacted.
Kip and I worked together for a number of years at the University of Utah Hospital on the Emergency Management Team. I really enjoyed his company. Our families got to know each other during that time. His kids were friends with mine, and I remember his daughters serving in the temple at the same time I did. I will miss Kip terribly and my deepest sympathies go with his family.
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