Obituary of Daniel E. Tipton

North Greenbush-Daniel Eugene Tipton of North Greenbush NY passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on January 24, 2024 after a long illness.

Dan was born on July 11, 1948 in Knoxville, Tennessee to Kathryn and DC Tipton. He grew up surrounded by family in eastern Tennessee. Dan grew to be 6’10”; although never playing basketball he did play in the marching band, riding to high school on a bicycle carrying his tuba uphill (but only one way).

He graduated from UT Knoxville in 1975 with a degree (BS) in electrical engineering, which he pursued while also working as a journeyman electrician. He was engaged in the local music community with his blood brother Sparky Rucker, who he met at boy scout camp and achieved the Order of the Arrow with. 

Dan worked for nearly 20 years at GE Fanuc Automation including two years at Saturn Corporation in Delaware. He took great pride in project management and building and supporting his teams, and his technical expertise took him to Korea, Canada, and the UK to complete projects. His two years at Saturn building a “different kind of car” company were invigorating. 

Dan met Margaret “Maggie” Syvertson in 1993 and they married on June 22, 1997 combining families into the best blended family ever. If you asked Dan how long they’d been married he would always say “not long enough.” While residing in Grafton with Maggie, Dan was a communicant at Our Lady of Snow.

He loved his family, folk music, science fiction, woodworking, and contra dancing. Dan and Maggie enjoyed beach vacations and their summers camping at Assateague Island. He volunteered at the Old Songs Music Festival with Maggie for many years. He also volunteered year round within his community, spending years after retirement very active with the Northeastern Woodworkers Association and serving a term as president of that organization. 

He leaves behind his beloved family: spouse Maggie Syvertson, children and partners Sarah Davies and Ben Bramlage, Karina Tipton and Mike Grundy, Luke Davies and Dharna Devalon, Dan and Meredith Tipton, and Rachel and Steve English, his siblings and their spouses Rick and Marcia Tipton, Elayne and Frank Saucier, and Vaughan Pritchett. He appreciated and loved his grandchildren: Daniel Tipton, Scarlett Davies and Fiona Longacker, Elijah Davies, Jack and Luke Grundy, and Sara and Nate Bramlage, plus his many nieces and nephews. He is survived also by his first wife, Kristine Tipton. He was predeceased by his mother Kathryn, father DC, and sister Carolyn.

The family especially thanks friends at Eastwyck, the team at Samaritan Hospital for their skill and compassion over the last month, and the unknown heart donor and their family for allowing us to have him with us for another five years.

Relatives and friends are invited and may call to the W.J. Lyons Jr. Funeral Home, 1700 Washington Avenue, Rensselaer, on Wednesday, January 31, 2024 from 4-6pm. A funeral mass will be held on Thursday, February 1, 2024 at 10:00AM, at St. Michael’s the Archangel Church, Troy, NY.

If you would like to honor Dan, donations can be made to the Old Songs Annual Fund (https://oldsongs.org/annualfund/) or the Northeastern Woodworking Association General Fund at NWA, PO Box 246, Rexford NY 12148 (or https://woodworker.org/epayment/)