Doug Lipscombe

C. Douglas "Doug" Lipscombe, III, loving and faithful husband, father, and brother, was escorted into the presence of his Savior on May 22^nd, 2023, in Gulfport, Mississippi. Doug lived his life with the assurance that even when he was dead in his sin, God had made him alive with Christ and by grace he had been saved through faith (Ephesians 2:1-10).

Born on September 11^th, 1951, in Florence, South Carolina, to C. Douglas Lipscombe, Jr. and Alice Mobley Lipscombe, Doug grew up in South Carolina and Central Florida, graduating from Howey Academy in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida. He enlisted in the United States Navy in 1970 and served as a Radioman Second Class at the NATO installation in Oslo, Norway from 1971-74. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Francis Marion College in Florence, South Carolina in 1977. Doug married the love of his life, Christine Ashley (Chris) Rainy of Elma, Iowa, in December 1978. He and Chris then moved to Pensacola, Florida, where he began Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School; he received his commission as an officer in the Navy in April 1979.

After completion of training at Mather Air Force Base in Sacramento, California, Doug and Chris were thrilled to receive orders to Naval Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii. He flew as a navigator in the P-3 Orion aircraft with Naval Patrol Squadron VP-4 from 1980-84. In 1986 Doug earned a Master of Science degree in Meteorology and Oceanography from Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. His next assignment was on the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) aircraft carrier in Norfolk, Virginia, where he proudly served on the commissioning crew from 1986-89 as a plank owner and Tactical Action Officer in the ship’s Combat Information Center.

After separation from active duty Navy in 1990, Naval Reserve duty and a civilian job opportunity unexpectedly brought Doug and Chris to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. In 1991, God gave them identical twin daughters, Sarah and Rebekah, born during a transitional period in Doug’s career that provided the blessing of extra time at home with them.

When the girls were a year old, Doug was providentially directed to the 53^rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi, better known as the Hurricane Hunters. Transitioning from the Navy to the Air Force Reserve, Doug landed the best job of his life as an Air Reserve Weather Officer, flying into a total of 152 storms throughout his 15-year career.

Doug retired from the Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2007. He went on to direct an international school for hydrography for the U. S. Navy with Fleet Survey Team at the Naval Construction Battalion Center in Gulfport, Mississippi, until his retirement from civil service in 2011.

Doug’s love for service and country was secondary, however, to his love for his Savior, his wife, and his daughters. He cherished his beloved Chris, and she knew how blessed she was to be his wife and best friend. He was always proud of “his girls” and relished every opportunity to share their accomplishments with others. Doug faithfully cared for his family members, particularly his parents and brother before their passing, and afterward was much like a father to his younger sister, Emily. A natural leader, he humbly excelled in all his pursuits. Doug thoughtfully and graciously cared about people with his sweet, generous spirit; he never met a stranger. He poured his life into serving Christ as a godly husband, father, friend, brother, and elder at First Presbyterian Church in Gulfport. He joyfully filled his time visiting homebound church members with Chris, organizing monthly lunches with senior saints, teaching Sunday school, participating in a men’s Bible study, singing in the choir, and investing in young families at church. His interests included spending time with his family, exploring American history, keeping track of the weather, playing and watching golf, and traveling with Chris in their RV to national parks across the country.

Doug is preceded in death by his parents, Clarence Douglas Lipscombe, Jr. and Alice Mobley Lipscombe, and his brother, Marion Lipscombe, all of Sumter, South Carolina, as well as four unborn children. He is survived by his wife of over 44 years, Chris, of Gulfport, Mississippi; his daughters: Sarah Lipscombe, of Germantown, Tennessee, and Rebekah Lipscombe, of Clinton, Mississippi; and his sister, Emily Lipscombe, of Columbia, South Carolina.

The family is eternally grateful to the medical personnel at Keesler Air Force Base Medical Center for their compassionate and excellent care, as well as those at Memorial Hospital and Gentiva Hospice. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be given to First Presbyterian Church of Gulfport, Mississippi.

Visitation will take place at First Presbyterian Church in Gulfport on Friday, May 26^th, from 5:00-7:00 p.m. A celebration of life service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Gulfport on Saturday, May 27^th, at 3:00 p.m. A private internment will take place at Biloxi National Cemetery in Biloxi, Mississippi.

Bradford O'Keefe Funeral Home, O'Neal Road, Gulfport is honored to serve the Lipscombe family.