Henry William Lippold, age 89, of Altoona, Wisconsin died on October 20, 2018 in Eau Claire.
He was born on March 31, 1929 in New London, Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1951 and received his Master of Science in Journalism from Northwestern University in 1954. He married Judith Minna Rosenthal on May 4, 1952 in Portland, Oregon. Henry knew from early childhood that he wanted to be a broadcast journalist. While attending college, he worked at WOSH (Oshkosh), WIBU (Poynette), and WHA (Madison). After graduating, he worked at the Sellwood-Moreland Bee in Portland before returning to the Midwest and working at WLS (Chicago) while attending Northwestern University. His first job as a television anchor was at WMT in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from 1954-1959.
In 1959, he began teaching at the University of Illinois in Urbana, splitting his time between academics and serving as the news director and anchor/reporter/writer for WILL-TV. In 1972, Henry took a teaching position at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, where he developed the broadcast journalism curriculum. Over the next 30 years, he sent hundreds of students into broadcasting in Wisconsin and throughout the country. He also worked part-time at WEAU-TV news and was co-founder of the Western Wisconsin Press Club. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2002. After his retirement, he continued to produce news programs for Wisconsin Public Radio and Chippewa Valley Community Television.
Henry had many interests, including fishing, gardening, and keeping informed about current events, and he enjoyed many spectator sports such as baseball and ski jumping. He enjoyed spending time with his wife at their cabin in northern Wisconsin. Henry deeply loved his daughters, and he was a devoted grandfather who took every opportunity to go fishing and play games with his grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife, Judith; his daughters, Luanne (Bruce Johnson) of Pepin, WI and Laurie (Steven Gelb) of Seattle; grandchildren, Elianna, Mira, Jacob, and Lydia; great-granddaughter, Marielle; and his nephews and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry William Lippold Sr. and Bertha (Beutler) Lippold; and his brother, Kenneth A. Lippold.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Henry Lippold Fellowship Fund at the UW-Eau Claire, or a health-related charity of your choice. A memorial service will be held at The Classic, 2455 Sawgrass Place, Altoona, WI, from 1:00-4:00 on Saturday, November 17, 2018. Lenmark-Gomsrud-Linn Funeral & Cremation Services is serving the family. To express online condolences, please visit www.lenmarkfh.com