AUSTIN – Services for Texas
Department of Public Safety (DPS) Senior Trooper Thomas Nipper will begin
Thursday, Nov. 9, in Belton. Trooper Nipper died in the line of duty as a
result of a traffic crash in Bell County.
At approximately 3:05 p.m.
on Saturday, Nov. 4, Trooper Nipper was conducting a traffic stop on the
shoulder of I-35 in Temple when his patrol car was struck from behind by a
southbound motorist. Trooper Nipper proudly served the department for more than
34 years. He is survived by his wife, his son and his two daughters.
Visitation will be held on
Thursday, Nov. 9, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Dossman Funeral Home
(located at 2525 N. Main St., Belton, TX 76513). Funeral Services will be held
on Friday, Nov. 10, at 1 p.m. at the Temple Bible Church (located at 3205
Oakview Drive, Temple, TX 76502). Interment will follow at the North Belton
Cemetery (located at 1500 N. Main St., Belton, TX 76513).
“For more than 34 years,
Trooper Thomas Nipper answered the noble call to serve and protect his fellow
Texans, bravely facing the daily dangers of his job,” said DPS Director Steven
McCraw. “Even after retiring, he returned to work and continued his Highway
Patrol duties. We are extremely humbled by and proud of his unwavering
dedication to the department and the people of Texas. Our thoughts and prayers
are with his family. He and his family will always be a part of the DPS family,
and Trooper Nipper’s service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Trooper Nipper was
commissioned as a Trooper in January of 1983, and he was stationed in Temple.
He is the 220th DPS officer to die in the line of duty since 1823.
To see the initial press
release regarding Trooper Nipper’s death, visit https://www.dps.texas.gov/director_staff/media_and_communications/pr/2017/1104a.
The family requests that in
lieu of flowers, memorials be made to the Houston Survivors 100 Club (5555 San
Felipe Street, #1750, Houston, TX 77056).