Robert Dippo

Robert E. Dippo
July 2, 1929 – December 1, 2020
Robert E. Dippo died in Boulder of complications from Covid-19 on December 1. He was 91.
Bob was born in Boone, Iowa to Frank and Agnes Dippo, and grew up in the Mississippi River
town of Clinton, Iowa. He became a big man and a gifted athlete. Bob was always proud to
have played in the starting lineup for the Clinton High School River Kings state championship
football team his senior year in high school.
He went to college on a football scholarship at the University of Tulsa, where he majored in
history and played guard for the Golden Hurricane. After his graduation in 1952, Bob returned
to the Hawkeye state, where he earned his law degree from the University of Iowa in 1955.
He practiced corporate law for his entire career, both as in-house counsel and in private
practice. Bob initially worked for oil and gas companies in Lafayette and Baton Rouge, LA, and
then Durango, CO, where he met his bride, Judy Slade. She was a lovely young widow with two
girls and two boys, all under the age of ten. When Bob told his mother that he intended to end
his bachelor days at 33 and marry Judy, Agnes fainted on the other end of the phone.
Bob and Judy married in 1963 and he adopted the four freckled kids. He and Judy had three
more girls over the next seven years. Bob continued his career in Denver, moving to Boulder in
1964 to raise his family in a college town. A short time later, he accepted a job with Belco
Petroleum Corporation in New York City, moving the family to northern New Jersey. They
moved back to Boulder in 1968 and have enjoyed the same house in Table Mesa with an
expansive view of the Boulder Valley since then. Bob believed deeply in the importance of
funding public schools and he devoted time canvassing his neighbors to do the same.
Bob served as legal counsel for several energy companies in Denver and maintained a private
practice until his retirement in 2020. He enjoyed regaling his family with stories from business
trips to Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, Europe and Africa.
Bob loved college football, especially the Tulsa, Iowa and Colorado teams. He and Judy were
Buffs season ticket holders for 50 years, and they enthusiastically followed the Herd to many
bowl games over the decades. Bob was a quiet man but enjoyed planning parties and hosting
his entire extensive family. He loved Vail and big band music, and he relished a “real” beer or
two at the end of the day. He enjoyed watching and re-watching classic Hollywood films,
especially movies featuring Humphrey Bogart and Clint Eastwood.
Through Bob’s determination, love and strength, he took nine independent threads and wove
them into one family that is as resilient as a braided steel cable. He took great pride in and
derived much joy from watching his grandchildren and great grandchildren grow up and pursue
their dreams. His support and love were unwavering, and he will be fiercely missed.
He was preceded in death by his parents and an elder brother.
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He is survived by his wife, Judy Dippo of Boulder and their seven children: Deborah Silverman
(Matt Silverman) of Boulder; Barbara Roosa (Bruce Roosa) of Gillette, WY; James Dippo (Patricia
Dippo) of Arvada, CO; John Dippo (Karen Dippo) of Leesburg, VA; Meg Caddeau (Patrick
Caddeau) of Princeton, NJ; Beth Cendali (Richard Cendali) of Boulder; and Amy Smith (David
Smith) of Lafayette, CO.
He is also survived by 12 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
Due to Covid-19 protocols, no public service is planned. A wake to celebrate Bob’s life will be
held next year.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests you consider contributing to: The University of Iowa
College of Law (https://donate.givetoiowa.org) or the University of Colorado Law Library:
(https://giving.cu.edu/fund/law-library-fund)