Obituary: Clement Compton Hipkins III, 88

Information via the Hipkins family

Clement “Clem” Hipkins III, of Vero Beach, Florida, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Oct. 3, 2019. Clem was born Sept. 1, 1931, to Clement Hipkins Jr. and Jeanne Keck Hipkins in Brooklyn, New York. He was the oldest of four children: Clem, Renee Tracey, of Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Lois Broderick (Curtin), of Manhattan, New York, and Kathleen Douglass, of Manhattan, New York.

Clem’s family and friends will sorely miss his intellect, his dry wit, and his ability to engage people in meaningful conversation. It was not uncommon to find Clem leading a discussion about some hot-button topic around his dinner table. All would enjoy the lively exchange of ideas with the sure knowledge that different viewpoints would be heard without judgement. His even-keel disposition made him uniquely able to mediate the discussion in a way that would open minds. In this day and age, this type of finesse is a lost art.

Clem grew up in Chatham, New Jersey, and graduated from Chatham High School in 1949. In 1953, he graduated from Catholic University in Washington, D.C., with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Clem then joined The Army Corp of Engineers and served his country in Greenland from 1953 to 1955. Afterwards, he accepted a scholarship from Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, graduating in 1957 with a master’s degree in business administration.

The majority of Clem’s career was spent as an engineer working for Exxon. As vice president of energy exploration, he put his expertise to work discovering alternatives to fossil fuel. Clem’s forward thinking made him “green” before it was cool to be green. After 26 years he left Exxon and corporate America to strike out on his own and became a venture capitalist.

There were many hobbies that Clem enjoyed, but none more than sailing. His love of the water is what brought him to Connecticut in 1968. He was a member of Cedar Point Yacht Club and enjoyed both leisure and competitive sailing. A keen investor, Clem was also an active member of The Wise Men Investing Club that met weekly at the YMCA, then in downtown Westport. Additionally, Clem was an avid bridge player and much-sought-after partner. His quick mind and strategic play made him a force to be reckoned with around the game table. As many of Clem’s friends can attest, Clem’s knowledge of the Civil War was boundless. Some might even say he had an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject. One of his favorite things in life was the opportunity to lie down on a comfy couch and read a new book on the Civil War.

Above all, the love of family is what Clem treasured most. In 1961 he married Doris White, who predeceased him in June 1978. Clem is survived by their two children, daughter, Wendi and her husband, Greg Michael and their three children, Zach, Ellie and Camryn, all of Fairfield, Connecticut, and son, Brad Hipkins of San Francisco, California. He is also survived by his wife of 20 years, Beverly Ferrari Hipkins, of Vero Beach, Florida, and her daughter, Syhia and husband, Dean Eastman who reside in Andover, Massachusetts, and Vero Beach, Florida.

A private memorial service will be held for family and close friends in the upcoming weeks. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Parkinson’s Foundation or VNA House Hospice, Vero Beach, Florida.