Former Manchester mayor and county commissioner dies at 93

Elmer C. Lippy, the former mayor of Manchester and a former county commissioner, died Sunday at age 93 due to compilations with dementia.
Lippy, a Democrat, served as mayor of Manchester from 1985 to 1987, then as mayor from 1987 to 1990. He served as a county commissioner from 1990 to 1994 and was elected again as mayor of Manchester in 1995, serving until 1999.
He retired as a chemist in 1985 from Lever Brothers in Dundalk, where he worked for 38 years.
Lippy had to make difficult decisions in his time as a politician and had some notable accomplishments.
As commissioner in March 1991, amid tough budget times, he and other commissioners froze salaries for county employees in order to avoid layoffs, according to a Times article.
As mayor, Lippy helped secure federal grants for a sewage treatment system that saved Manchester 96 percent of its $10.1 million budget, according to 2005 Times article.
Lippy, a lifelong Manchester resident, was awarded the Friend of Carroll County Award by the North Carroll Democratic Club for his public service in 2005.
Lippy was a politician who cared for others and felt government could be used to help people, said his son Bruce Lippy, 62.
"He really cared for other people and thought that being in government was an honor," Bruce Lippy said.
At an Aug. 26, 1987, council meeting, Elmer Lippy denounced a planned Ku Klux Klan rally that was set to happen Sept. 12, 1987, according to a Times article.
"Black or yellow, red or white, all are precious in His sight," Elmer Lippy, a devout Christian, said at the meeting.
Elmer Lippy always had a great sense of humor and instilled in his children a great work ethic, said Neil Lippy, his son, 54.
"The whole family inherited his sense of humor," Neil Lippy said. "He was a very dedicated, hard-working guy. He was very well respected."
Elmer Lippy enjoyed participating in the Trinity United Church of Christ choir, which he sang in for 70 years, Neil Lippy said.
He was also the father of Margaret Ann Bailey, 60, and the husband of Mabel Caroline Bishop Lippy. The two would have been married for 70 years in November.
Elmer Lippy also enjoyed gardening and participated in town plays for the Manchester Fire Company, sometimes playing the lead character and ad-libbing on stage, said Bruce Lippy.
"He was really part of small-town America," Bruce Lippy said. "He loved the town and his church."