Tom Zipperer, 67, died Saturday, June 21, at his Tybee Island home with his family by his side.

Tom was born July 26th, 1946, in Savannah, GA. to Calvin and Paula Zipperer, and was a descendant of the Salzburgers of Ebenezer, Effingham County.

Tom's early years were spent in Savannah's Garden Homes and at Ft. Screven on Tybee Island where he met many of his lifelong friends and developed his avid love of sports, especially baseball and football. He was a diehard fan of Georgia Tech and the Atlanta Braves and spent many years competing in pool, horseshoes, and dart leagues. His family settled on Wilmington Island in Tom's teenage years where he acquired his deep love of the waterways of the Low Country. In 1963, at 17 years old, Tom enlisted in the U.S. Navy and later served aboard the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt and the USS Enterprise before being honorably discharged in 1967. On his return to civilian life, he joined his father's company, Zipperer Construction. During his tenure with the company, his expertise would be frequently called upon by such agencies as NASA and the City of Savannah. For the past 20 years, Tom lived on Tybee Island with his wife Maria where they spent their free time in the ocean, rivers, and creeks of the barrier islands.

He was preceded in death by his parents Calvin and Paula Zipperer and his brother, Calvin Zipperer Jr. He is survived by his wife Maria Fitzgibbon Zipperer, daughter Shannon Zipperer, step-sons Gabriel and Jacob Jackson all of Tybee Island; granddaughter Jordan Zipperer of Orange Park, FL; and sisters, Pauline Gregory, Paula Miller and Rebekah Cheh all of Savannah, GA.

A memorial service will be held Thursday, June 26 at 6:30 p.m. on Tybee's north beach, near the surf, located behind the Tybee Museum. The family respectfully asks that friends and family share their memories of Tom during the service.