Herbert "Herb" L. Grippen

Herbert L. "Herb" Grippen age 70 of Janesville and formerly of Mukwonago passed away on May 11, 2022 at Agrace Center for Hospice & Palliative Care in Fitchburg, WI following a long illness.  Herb was born Lloyd Stewart Herbert Grippen on September 19, 1951 the youngest son of Lloyd J. and Ruth E. (McGilton) Grippen in Durand, WI.  As a youngster the family moved to Eagle, WI where Herb graduated from Mukwonago High School in 1970.  Herb married the love of his life Eileen M. Pitt on September 23, 1972.  She preceded him in death on April 6, 1999 after a short illness.  Herb then began dating and later married Charlene (Tilton) Mathewson on May 24, 2013.  On May 17, 2018 Herb and Charlene officially adopted their grandson, Charles (Charlie) Herbert Grippen.

Herb retired from Cooper Power Systems of Waukesha, WI in 2012 after nearly 28 years as a welder and sub assembly finisher.  Herb loved to travel and took his first cruise with his wife Eileen to the Caribbean in 1987.  Later Herb would ride his motorcycle with friends to the Sturgis South Dakota Motorcycle Rally.  Char joined him in 2002 and then 2003 for Harley Davidson's 100th anniversary, where they celebrated with visitors from all over the world.  Herb and Char also went on two separate Alaskan Cruises in 2004 and 2009 where they saw hump back whales "bubble netting" on a whale watching tour in Juneau and glaciers “calving” in Glacier Bay. Herb and Char made a special trip to Maui in September 2014 to attend the wedding of niece Phuong to Brad Dresher. It was the trip of a lifetime!

Herb loved the outdoors and spent many weekends riding his ATV with friends in Necedah and was a member of the Petenwell ATV club. Herb and Char also rode the ATV trails around River Falls WI and the Cheese Trail between Monroe and Darlington WI. Herb and Eileen were long time members of the Kettle Moraine Riders snowmobile club. They enjoyed riding with friends on the trails between Waukesha and Walworth counties, and especially enjoyed snowmobile trips to northern Wisconsin and Michigan. Of course Herb also loved riding motorcycles, whether it was a Goldwing, Kawasaki, or Harley Davidson. Herb was a 20-year member of the H.O.G. Riding club and collected over 100 Harley Davidson T-shirts from all over the country. Herb enjoyed deer hunting and in recent years was able to bag both a 10-point and 8-point buck. Herb was a great mechanic and loved muscle cars, and was especially fond of his 2015 sublime green Dodge Challenger. Herb was a huge fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, and was ecstatic when they won the Super Bowl in 2020. Herb was also a member of Emerald Grove Congregational Church where he served as Trustee.  

Herb is survived by his wife Charlene, son Charlie, sister Ruth Ann (Larry) Nicoson, sister-in-law Wilma Pettis, brother-in-law Jim (Hac) Tilton, brother-in-law Jim (Kathy) Allen, nephews Richard (Jill), Robert, Reginald (Kathy) and Rodney (Jennifer) Nicoson, Mon Nguyen, nieces Twah (Tim) Dougherty, Phuong (Brad) Dresher, Nancy (Tomis) Parker, Laura (Sasha) Koshelev, and Claire (Jeff) Schneider, great nieces and nephews, Ashlee (Mike) Miller, River and Indie Miller, Amber, Emarie, Danny, Shane (Taya), Megan, Emma, and Bryce Nicoson, Ford and Rivington Dougherty, Coco and Cash Dresher, Huxley Parker, Brandon Nguyen, and Sloan and Raegan Schneider.  Herb is also survived by special nieces Beverly (Don) Sebetic, Cari (Jason) Kelm, nephew Jace (Nicole) Peterson and Goddaughter Brittany (Nick) Teschler, as well as other nieces, nephews and many dear friends. Herb is also survived by his special buddy Max, his four-year-old Olde English Bulldogge.

Herb was preceded in death by his parents, his wife Eileen, sister Rose Guth, sister-in-law Julie Allen and his brother-in-law Carl Pettis.

The family would like to thank the staff at the Agrace Center for Hospice & Palliative Care for their compassionate care of Herb during his brief stay.

Herb's Funeral Service will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 28, 2022 in the EMERALD GROVE CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, 8127 US Hwy 14E, Emerald Grove with Mike Ligman officiating. Friends will be received on Friday May 27 in the Brian Mark Funeral Home, 1000 Inman Pkwy, Beloit WI from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and again on Saturday in Church from 10 a.m. until the time of service. Luncheon will follow. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Agrace Hospice & Palliative Care and Emerald Grove Congregational church. Please share a memory or a condolence with the family on our website.

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