Sallie Thompson (Phillips) Lipscomb

Sallie Thompson (Phillips) Lipscomb died peacefully in her Lawrence, Kansas home on September 13, 2024. She was 83 years old.

She was born on June 7, 1941, in Alexandria, Virginia, the daughter of Dr. Alonzo Lafayette Phillips and Mary Gascoyne Howell Phillips. Her husband, Richard Henry “Dick” Lipscomb, Jr., as well as her father and mother preceded her in death.

Sallie married Dick, her high school sweetheart, in 1961. They lived in Richmond, Virginia, until Dick’s career relocated them to Lawrence in 1976. They had three children and lived a beautiful life together until Dick’s passing in 2020.

She fulfilled her life’s mission as a caregiver and helper through her personal and family relationships as well as her career. She worked as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant in the Lawrence, Topeka, and Kansas City area for years after earning her Associate’s Degree from the University of Kansas.

Sallie served customers at JCPenney in Lawrence for over 10 years and was the talented seamstress behind many wedding and prom dresses in her role at Karen’s Bridal Shop. She was a caregiver for her parents and mother-in-law in her home in Lawrence until their passing.

She had a true zest for life and laughs, enjoyed a variety of music genres, and truly loved her husband, children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She and Dick attended many sporting events to support their grandchildren, always repping with the appropriate team swag.

Sallie made a mean Thanksgiving meal with all the trimmings, especially her stuffing. She loved hosting the whole family, and many special memories were made Black Friday shopping and playing poker (with Sallie’s cheat sheet in front of her).

She was an avid collector of Schoenhut dolls and figures, and she was a master at bringing new life to neglected antiques. She loved nature and all animals (well, maybe not the pack rat who built a nest in the motor of her van at her country home), and had a special affinity for cats. Her father instilled a passion for trains in her that spanned her lifetime. She loved her Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas City Chiefs, especially Patrick Mahomes.

Sallie is survived by three children: Sallie Knetzke and her husband, Jerry, of Springfield, Missouri; Rick Lipscomb of Lawrence; Mary Clark and her husband, Kevin, of Lee’s Summit, Missouri; five grandchildren: Taylor Lipscomb, Jack Clark, Kaitlin Knetzke, Sarah Knetzke, and Courtney Clark; two great grandchildren, Ryker and Renleigh Keifer; her sister: Mary Arden (Phillips) Grimm of Waynesboro, Virginia; and her beloved cat, Miss Kitty.

The family expresses our sincere gratitude to Sallie’s doctors as well as the nurses, aide, and social worker from the Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association, whose support in ensuring Sallie’s comfort in her home during her final days was truly invaluable to us.

A visitation to honor Sallie will be October 19, 2024, 1-3 pm at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home.

Memorials may be made to the Douglas County Visiting Nurses Association or Lawrence Humane Society.