Edward Tipper, a World War II paratrooper who was portrayed in the HBO series “Band of Brothers,” has died at 95 years old on February 1, 2017. The famed member of Easy Company passed away in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, according to his daughter, Kerry Tipper.
Edward Tipper was a member of the now famed Easy Company, 101st Airborne Division, that parachuted into France as part of the June 6, 1944, Allied D-Day invasion. The company’s exploits were made famous by HBO’s hit series “Band of Brothers,” based on research by historian Stephen Ambrose.
Tipper was portrayed by actor Bart Ruspol. Fans may remember him as a soldier that was injured by a mortar shell just a few days after the parachute drop, leaving his eye and leg badly injured. He was hospitalized for a year and was awarded the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
Despite his injuries, Tipper was active well into his golden years. After the war he attended the University of Michigan and the University of Northern Colorado, followed by a stint at the Colorado State College of Education. He became a teacher and was an avid skier into his 80’s.
Despite his heroics on the battlefield, his family hopes that he will be best remembered for his illustrious teaching career.
“So much of what people talk about with him is what he did in the war. That was two years and really six days starting on D-Day,” his daughter Kerry said. “Teaching was 30 years.”
He will be buried at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
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