Pipes, Larry February 7, 1941 - June 28, 2024

Larry Pipes died Fri, Jun 28, 2024, at the age of 83, of complications
from Parkinson's Disease. He is survived by his sister Marilyn Grant
Richardson, his wife Elaine (Burmeister) Pipes, and his son Jerry Pipes
and two grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents Samuel
Pipes and Ruby (Chewning) Pipes, as well as his sister Marlene Mosher.
Larry lived a full life. He grew up on a dairy farm in Bates County,
Missouri, and during this time began a life-long love for automobiles.
In 1958, he attended the University of Missouri, Columbia for two years
but did not graduate, although he did return to night school later in
life, finally obtaining his Bachelor of Science in 1979. He moved to his
adopted hometown of St. Louis in 1961, indulging his passion for cars,
and meeting with other hot-rod enthusiasts at Steak 'n Shake on Halls
Ferry Circle, where he would eventually meet his wife Elaine. They were
married in 1966, at which time Larry was a drag racer, and in the next
few years he held four different NHRA world records in the 1/4 mile. An
accident at Mid-America Raceway in 1970 led to a week in a coma and a
career change, when Elaine convinced him that leaving their now
two-year-old son fatherless was not a good plan. Larry spent 10 years
working for AAA as the manager of their Diagnostic Center downtown. He
was often seen on the local news, providing car maintenance tips, or
teaching people how to avoid being scammed by a mechanic. Soon he was
consulting for the NHTSA, and even testifying before a Congressional
sub-committee on consumer protection in 1978. In 1981, Larry started his
own business as an automotive consultant, mostly investigating car
accidents for insurance companies, and appearing as an expert witness in
a number of high-profile cases. He continued his business right up to
his retirement at age 70. Larry also served for several years as a
deacon in his church, and in 2021 he was inducted into the Sons of the
American Revolution. Larry will be missed by his family and friends.