Col. David William Lipsi, MD, US Army, (Ret.) passed peacefully into the arms of his Lord and Savior on Sunday morning, January 18, 2026, at the age of 79.

David was born on June 28, 1946. He was the second of 5 children (Louise, Jonathan, Timothy, and Jeanne) born to Dominic and Margery Lipsi, and raised in Sousas, Brazil. David was found constantly helping his parents with their missionary work in Sousas, especially working at Acampamento Biblico Betel. He, along with his brothers, helped the bricklayers build the dorms by retrieving hundreds of wheelbarrows of sand from the stream. He helped paint the dorms, cut the grass, and worked as a counselor. During camp sessions, David would go to the top of a hill and play his trumpet to wake up the campers.

He met and married his beautiful Brazilian bride, Neusa, during medical school and they eventually moved to New Jersey. Following his residency in general surgery, he joined the United States Army. That led to postings as a military surgeon in Heidelberg and Landstuhl, Germany; Panama City, Panama; Vicenza, Italy; and two postings in Columbia, South Carolina. He retired from active duty in 1999. He then returned to Moncrief Army Community Hospital at Fort Jackson and served as a civilian surgeon from 2001 until the hospital officially transitioned to the Moncrief Army Health Clinic in 2016.

His favorite things to do were read, travel, play his trumpet, and spend time with his family. He always had a book in his hand; the Bible, a theology book, or a history book. He read through the Bible over and over and over, sometimes in less than a year. He and Neusa literally traveled the world, not just with the military, but also to visit daughters who lived abroad and just to satisfy his constant itch to see someplace new. He was musically gifted both in voice and playing the trumpet and took every opportunity to play with others whether at home, church, visiting nursing homes, or the PRC Band in Penney Farms.

David's devotion to his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ led him to a life of service to God's kingdom. He often preached at Igreja Evangelica de Sousas as well as other churches. He served at Chitokoloki Mission Hospital in Zambia on various occasions, sharing his skill as a doctor and a teacher of God's Word. Most importantly, he shared God's Word in his home. His wife and daughters grew up hearing the Word at home after meals. If their friends came over for dinner, they would hear it too. As his daughters married and had children, husbands and grandchildren heard it. He attended Bethany Chapel in Columbia, SC and most recently Park of the Palms Church in Keystone Heights, FL. He appreciated the sweet congregations and men who studied the Word during the week making his favorite service the Lord's Supper every Sunday morning.

David is survived by his wife of 55 years, Neusa Van Tol Lipsi, his three daughters and their spouses, Priscilla and Stephen Johnson, Margaret and Seth Rogers, and Raquel and Andrew Douglas, and his five beautiful grandchildren: Charlotte, Gabriella, Isabel, Lydia, and Jedidiah.

A graveside service with Military Honors will be held at 2 o'clock on Tuesday, February 3rd, at Fort Jackson National Cemetery, 4170 Percival Road, Columbia, followed by a celebration service at 3 o'clock at Shives Funeral Homes, 7600 Trenholm Road Ext., Columbia, SC. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations be made to Christian Missions In Many Lands (CMML, 2751 18th Ave., Wall Township, NJ 07719).