Sheldon Lipson, 91

BETHESDA, MD. – Sheldon Robert Lipson, of Bethesda, Maryland, passed away Oct. 7, 2024, at Sibley Memorial Hospital. He was the loving husband of Maria-Elena (Destefano) Lipson, with whom he shared 30 years of marriage.

Born in Providence, he was the son of the late William and Anna “Anne” (Cort) Lipson. He had lived in Maryland for many years.

Sheldon attended Classical High School, where he made many friends and had a knack for making people laugh. In the summer, he enjoyed escaping to Camp Avoda on Tispaquin Pond, in Middleboro, Massachusetts.

After graduating from Classical in 1950, Sheldon attended Drake University for his first year before transferring to The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in economics in 1954. Upon graduation, Sheldon went on to earn a Bachelor of Laws from Boston University in 1959 and a Master of Laws from Georgetown University in 1963. A veteran of the United States Army and the Army Reserves, he served from 1954 to 1978, retiring as Lieutenant Colonel.

Sheldon practiced administrative law and was a judge for many years before retiring. He was on the board of directors of Amnesty International of the United States of America from 1964 to 1967 and a member of the Conference of Administrative Law Judges of the American Bar Association. When Sheldon wasn’t in the courtroom, you could find him clowning around with his kids or performing with his all-volunteer nonprofit theater group, Hexagon, that staged original, satirical, musical comedy – he’d, no doubt, always play the quirky character with the funny accent.

Sheldon’s infectious personality and sense of humor won over the heart of Maria-Elena when they met at a mutual friend’s party. She gave him the wrong number by mistake when he asked for her phone number, but he called the operator and tracked it down. His persistence paid off when wedding bells were in their future.

In addition to his beloved wife, Maria-Elena, he is survived by three children, David Lipson; Jonathan Lipson and his wife, Yvonne; and Janet Lipson; three grandchildren, Austin Lipson and his wife, Ally Patrick; McKenna Lipson and Abigale Lipson; a daughter-in-law, Deborah Isaacs; one brother, Maurice “Uncle Moe” Lipson and his wife, Mary; a nephew, Robert Lipson; a niece, Rebecca Lipson Solari; four stepchildren, James Ugarte; Diana Miroquesada and her husband, Diego; Oscar Ugarte and his wife, Jodie; Lorena Tatusko and her husband, Stephen; eight step-grandchildren, Savannah, Grant, Pierce and Soleil Ugarte; Katherine Cordova; Allegra Euler; Konradt and Saskia Tatusko; and one step-great-grandchild, Koree Cordova.

Contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.