April 22, 1955 ~ October 27, 2024
Kippy “Kip” Wayne Cole, 69, went to be with the Lord on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024, surrounded by his family. Born on April 22, 1955, in Hart, he was the son of Lyman and Viola (Snyder) Cole. Kip was raised in Whitehall until the age of 9, when the family moved to Ferry; he was the youngest of five children. His first job was at the local sawmill, and he graduated from Shelby High School in 1973.
Kip met the love of his life at the Rothbury Tavern in 1975. They would go on to have three children and six grandchildren, who became the greatest joy in their lives. He loved sharing his passion for working on vehicles with each of them.
After working in foundries for a few years, Kip landed a job at the MAISD in 1982 as a certified paraprofessional in the auto body and auto mechanics shop at the Muskegon Vocational Center, now known as the Muskegon Career Tech Center, where he is still fondly remembered since his retirement in 2010.
Kip was a 4-H leader and volunteer in Oceana County for 37 years, where he poured his heart into the program. He loved to hobby farm, and he considered the County Fair to be his annual vacation. In recent years, his hobby farming led him to sell Dairyland Seed. He loved to help farmers grow the biggest and best crops they could.
Kip is survived by: his wife, Diane (Schmiedeknecht) Cole; children, Alisha (Jim) Gray, Steffany Otaoroju and Kimberly (Frank) Adkins; grandchildren, Cayden Gray, Lane Eubank, Kevon Gray, Luke Eubank and Helena Otaoroju; and brother, Charles Cole.
Kip was preceded in death by his parents Lyman and Viola (Snyder) Cole; grandson, Ethan Gray; siblings, Roger Cole, Carol (Cole) Clark and Kathy (Cole) Tufts.
Funeral Services will be held at 1 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024, at the Shelby Wesleyan Church, 54 N. State St., Shelby, MI 49455, with Pastor Todd Deuling presiding. A visitation will take place one hour prior to services at the Wesleyan church, and a luncheon will immediately follow at the Shelby Congregational United Church of Christ, 51 E. Third St., Shelby, MI 49455. Interment will take place in Peace Lutheran Cemetery of Claybanks Township following the luncheon.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Kip’s name to the Shelby Wesleyan Church, 54 N. State St., Shelby, MI 49455.
Harris Funeral Home, in Shelby, is in charge of arrangements.
