Former Alderman, Descendent of St. Charles’ Settlers Dies at Age 88

A lifelong, fifth-generation St. Charles resident who is descended from some of the city’s original settlers died peacefully while surrounded by family early on July 4, 2013, according to Moss Family Funeral Homes.

A former paratrooper, Donald Earl Nippert was surrounded by his sons and Hattie, his wife of nearly 68 years when he passed.

The obituary by Moss Family Funeral Homes lists Nippert as being born on Oct. 15, 1925 at St. Charles’ old hospital on North 2nd Avenue.

A lifelong resident, he represented the fifth generation of his family to live in St. Charles, and his progeny includes three more generations of St. Charles residents.

The St. Charles High School graduate was known as “Nip” to his friends, according to the Moss Family Funeral Homes obituary, which states that he enlisted in the active Army Reserve in April 1943. After basic training, he decided to become a paratrooper, a path which would have taken him to the Pacific Theater, but his choice was cut short by training injuries that landed him in the hospital for eight months.

He was transferred in April 1945 to Fort Douglas, Utah, and was assigned to work in the Veterans Administration Hospital in Salt Lake City. A month later, the obituary states, he met Hattie Deutsch, a Red Cross nurse’s aide.

They dated for two months before Nippert received a furlough. The two of them came to St. Charles and wed on July 24, 1945, spending their wedding night at the Sky Club in Aurora and their honeymoon on the train during their return trip to Salt Lake City. After his discharge, they returned to St. Charles in September 1947.

Nippert graduated from Aurora College in June 1951. In 1958, he began work at the Howell Company in St. Charles until it closed in 1976. Nippert then worked for DuKane Corporation until his retirement in 1989.

He served as a St. Charles alderman for 10 years. He served eight years as a member of the Northern Illinois Selective Service Board, to which he was appointed by President Bill Clinton. He also was a member of a number of veterans and other organizations.

Visitation and funeral services were held Monday, July 8, 2013 at Moss-Norris Funeral Home, 100 S. 3rd St., St. Charles. Interment was in Union Cemetery in St. Charles.

For the full obituary, go to the Moss Family Funeral Homes obituaries page.