John Frederick "Freddie" Vipperman

1950 - 2025

John Frederick "Freddie" Vipperman

January 30, 1950 - December 2, 2025

John Frederick "Freddie" Vipperman, 75, of Grand Island, Ne, passed away Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025, at CHI Skilled Care in Grand Island surrounded by family.

Services will be held 1:30 p.m. Saturday, December 20th, 2025, at Trinity United Methodist Church in Grand Island with The Reverend April Wegehaupt officiating.

Inurnment will be held on Monday, December 22, 2025, at 10:00 a.m., at Grand Island City Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are kindly suggested to the family to be designated at a later date.

Online condolences and sharing of memories may be directed to www.livson.com.

Livingston-Sondermann Funeral Home is entrusted with arrangements.

John Frederick "Freddie" Vipperman was born January 30, 1950, in Central City, Nebraska, to William Fred Vipperman and Elizabeth June (Knight) Vipperman. He grew up on the family farm northeast of Chapman, Nebraska. As a small child, his father introduced him to hunting and fishing on the Platte River, which became his lifelong passion.

John "Freddie" attended Chapman Elementary School, Walnut Junior High and graduated from Grand Island Senior High in 1968. He graduated with honors from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and received his Juris Doctorate from UNL in 1975. He was eternally grateful to Sam Grimminger who hired him for his first job as Deputy Hall County Attorney. In 1976 he joined Tom Anderson and became a partner in their law firm. John (Freddie) practiced law in that office for fifty years.

His practice as a defense lawyer covered many counties in Nebraska. He developed a keen respect for the judges and lawyers throughout Nebraska. He successfully defended six murder cases, seeking out legal and medical expertise throughout the USA. No matter what the case was, he worked tirelessly and thoughtfully to represent his clients. He believed in decorum, dignity and the pursuit of truth throughout his career.

John "Freddie" continued to hunt and fish and traveled the world in search of new experiences, often including friends or his sister in these travels. He hunted Alaska, Canada, Russia, Kazakhstan, Poland, Belarus, Czech Republic, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa. He fished from Alaska to Costa Rica. Some experiences in the wilderness were dangerous, and he had amazing recollections to share. His favorite book was The Old Man and the Sea.

Over the years, John (Freddie) helped many to achieve better lives. His benevolence was extensive.

John "Freddie" lived and practiced his beliefs. He was a member of the Chapman United Methodist Church.

Every spring John "Freddie" planted a large garden to share the produce with his friends and family. He loved to make dill pickles and include friends in his sweet corn harvests.

He liked baseball and football – especially the Nebraska Huskers and the Kansas City Chiefs. He supported various teams in Central Nebraska. As a youth, he also enjoyed playing snooker in Marquette and Central City.

John "Freddie" had a profound appreciation for nature and enjoyed being outdoors or on the water. He knew and talked of many old-time hunters on the Platte River who had their own hunting "shacks". This last year of his life, with the help of good friends, he completed his own hunting shack along the river. He traveled the world in pursuit of his hunting and fishing dreams, but he liked the Platte River most of all.

He is survived by his son, Kenny (Michon) Morrow; grandsons, Ethan and Gavin Morrow, and Ben Francl; sister, Elizabeth Hodtwalker; two nieces, Christine (Kelly) Mendyk and Adrienne Redwine; grandniece, Anna (Dan) Farnworth and their children, Evie, Ezekiel and Edelle; grandnephews, James (Andrea) Mendyk, Seth (Grace) Redwine, Alec (Bailey) Redwine and Adan Redwine; as well as many cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents.