David Dippé, remembered as Sebastopol’s ‘grandfather’ of skateboarding, dies at 45

David Dippé, who was widely known as Sebastopol’s “grandfather” of skating and who rallied the community against a local ban on skateboarding in the early 1990s, died unexpectedly earlier this month, according to his family. He was 45.

Dippé grew up in Sebastopol with an avid interest for skating, only to be dismayed by the general poor attitude toward the sport. There were far fewer skaters then, and they were often viewed as rebellious. Skateboarding was banned in downtown Sebastopol and on school grounds, and local police would cite those who were skating in public.

So, he sketched out the makings of his dream skate park and, at age 12, attended his first City Council meeting with the goal of creating a space where skaters could come together to live out their passion.

His tenacious spirit and unending advocacy led him to gain the support of city officials and local police.

“It was a very cool thing since skaters and the police don’t always see eye to eye,” said Jeff Weaver, retired Sebastopol chief of police. “He was such a nice, balanced and reasonable guy.”

Dippé was one of five founding members who pushed for the creation of the Laguna Skategarden Park in the mid-1990s. Though the 15,000-square-foot state-of-the-art skate structure wasn’t constructed until 2008, Dippé became somewhat of a local hero known for his penchant to create change.

How Dippé treated others further shaped his legacy.

“He would just believe in you,” said Matthew Dippé, David Dippé’s younger brother. “He could always identify who people really were and had total faith in them. He could read people — it was quite remarkable.”

Asha Schechter skated with Dippé as a teenager. He remembers how Dippé would encourage and push him to keep trying a trick until he landed it. When he would, Dippé would enthusiastically run up and embrace him with a big “bear hug.”

“He was a ‘task master’ and had this intense dedication to everything he set his mind to,” Schechter said. “He was dedicated to getting it right and always hyped up everyone around him.”

Dippé, who was one of five siblings, felt happiest in nature, his family said. He loved hiking, fishing and canoeing.

And he lived life fully. He swam with sharks in The Bahamas and scuba dived at night through a sunken shipwreck in Indonesia. He had a deep passion for snowboarding, and was an avid “Star Wars” collector. He attended Santa Rosa Junior College and graduated from Sonoma State University with a degree in sociology. He was also fluent in American Sign Language, according to his mother, Ganelle Dippé.

“He lived a rich life,” Ganelle Dippé said. “We loved how he cared so much about people.”

In addition to skating, he dedicated his time and love to counseling kids and teens struggling with significant emotional and behavioral issues at Santa Rosa’s Willow Creek Treatment Center.

After working with Sebastopol’s honey and beekeeping supply shop Beekind, Dippé became a professional beekeeper, who rescued local beehives and educated others on the importance of bees to the ecosystem. He also presented at Sonoma County elementary schools and educated youth organizations such as the Independence 4-H Beekeepers Club in Sebastopol.

On Monday afternoon inside his family’s home, his mother took out a sheet of paper with lines from Dippé’s journal that read:

“I love that I love people that can’t be loved

I love the wrinkles on my Dad’s and Mom’s hands even before I watched the wrinkles form my own.

I love when my work is in a beehive and I witness everyone simply reacting in the way that their instincts predict them.

I love pressing my forehead against trees, the elders, and feeling safe in the woods after thanking them.

“I love that I know my brothers’ eyes so well and even when he is complaining, I know my love for him can never change.”

A celebration of life will be held from noon to 3 p.m. March 25 at HopMonk, 230 Petaluma Ave., in Sebastopol. Those interested in making donations toward Sebastopol’s Skategarden Park can call Sebastopol’s planning director at 707-823-6167.

You can reach Staff Writer Mya Constantino at mya.constantino@pressdemocrat.com. @searchingformya on Twitter.