WWII vet became Lone Star CEO

Robert Orlando Lippi / 1924-2007

Robert Orlando "Bob" Lippi of Kaneohe, the retired president of Lone Star Hawaii and a U.S. Navy veteran, died at his Kaneohe home on July 17. He was 83.

Lippi served in the Navy during World War II and wrote a personal memoir detailing his experiences, titled "Kamikaze Nights -- Invading the Home Islands."

Lippi was born April 30, 1924, in San Francisco and went to the University of California at Berkeley. He was just 19 and a freshmen at Berkeley when he was commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Naval Reserve.

He would then go on to fight in the battle of Okinawa, as well as the invasion of Luzon and the liberation of Manila. Lippi rose to commanding officer at the age of 21, and was slated for a promotion to lieutenant, but decided to leave the Navy.

He went on to work for Pacific Cement & Aggregates, then Lone Star Industries, where he would rise to president and chief executive.

At the age of 62, he came out of retirement to take the position of chief financial officer and treasurer at the Diocese of Honolulu from 1988 to 1994.

He served on several boards, including those of the Aloha Medical Mission, the Augustine Educational Foundation and Chaminade University.

Lippi also was enthusiastic about golf and sailing on his 36-foot boat, Choy Lee.

Lippi is survived by wife Virginia; daughters Susan Dorwart, Anne D'Angelo and Maria Schwartz; and six grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Saturday at St. Ann Catholic Church, 46-126 Haiku Road, Kaneohe. Committal services will be held 9:30 a.m. Monday at National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl. Aloha attire.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Aloha Medical Mission, 810 N. Vineyard Blvd., Honolulu, HI 96817; or Augustine Educational Foundation, 6301 Pali Highway, Kaneohe, HI 96744.