Honorary Colonel Delbert E. Lippert
427 Special Operations Aviation Squadron
Biography
Mr Delbert Lippert was appointed as Honorary Colonel of 427 Special
Operations Aviation Squadron, located at Petawawa ON in May 2015 and
served in that capacity until July of 2018.
Born in Kitchener ON, Honorary Colonel Lippert enrolled in the
Canadian Army under the Apprentice Training Program Artillery in Shilo
MB in 1958. Upon completing training he transferred to 4 Royal
Canadian Horse Artillery in Petawawa as a technical assistant. After
his service in the Army ended in 1963, he joined Pan American Airways
Guided Missile Range Division as a Radar technician and operator.
Continuing the five year cycle, he moved to Digital Equipment Corp as
a computer technician and quickly progressed to become District
Manager in Anaheim California. Of note, while at Digital Equipment, he
received his private pilot’s license and joined the Massachusetts
Civil Air Patrol , an auxiliary of the USAF, as a search and rescue
pilot. Moving to the East Coast, he was promoted to Corporate Manager
for Educational Services at the office in Maynard Massachusetts, soon
becoming VP for the Division and remaining with DEC for 18 years.
Looking for new challenges, Honorary Colonel Lippert became President
and COO of a fledgling cellular phone company and remained in that
post for five years. He then was recruited by Computervision to become
the president of Asia Pacific where he remained for three years of
constant travel before becoming a private investor. Following a five
year break, Honorary Colonel Lippert was recruited by Raytheon Marine
in New Hampshire eventually becoming President of the Commercial Group
of companies before returning to Canada upon retirement. Honorary
Colonel Lippert’s retirement was short-lived upon being approached to
consult with BTI in Chalk River and then Med-Eng working on Electronic
Countermeasures equipment to serve the soldiers in Afghanistan to
defeat roadside explosive devices. It was a highly successful
development that led to a significant growth for the company. Med-Eng
also developed and produces Explosive Ordinance Disposal suits now
worn by forces and organizations around the world. In his most recent
state of semi-retirement he served as a board member with
International Datacasting Corporation, a satellite equipment producer
and operator of the Canadian Forces Radio Television Network before
fully retiring in January 2014.
Honorary Colonel Lippert completed his tour as Honorary Colonel in an
exemplary manner. While serving in this capacity, he single-handedly
took the concept of a 427 Squadron Cenotaph to commemorate all who
have lost their lives while operating 427 Squadron aircraft, from an
initial concept to full implementation status. That very impressive
cenotaph located in Cobden, Ontario serves as a lasting legacy for his
dedication to 427 Squadron for which he will always be remembered.
Del passed away peacefully after a very short illness on 11 December
2018. He was buried on 18 December with a honour guard from the
squadron giving him a final send-off. He is survived by his wife
Mildred, and 4 generations of Lipperts. A Lion once and a Lion
always.