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Albany County resident Walter Lipka, of Cohoes, died Tuesday, Jan. 30 at the age of 86 at Health Alliance Hospital in Kingston. His death followed a two-month battle with sepsis, according to his obituary.
A native of Cohoes, Lipka served in the US Army as a military police officer in the early 1960s. He later received his bachelor’s degree in art education from Suny New Paltz and a master’s degree in Studio Art from UAlbany.
His love for art landed him a teaching job in the Cohoes City School District, where he spent his entire career teaching the field.
Lipka was also heavily involved in the community, serving as the Cohoes City Historian for a decade, his memorial said. He was instrumental in getting George Stacey Davis – another Cohoes native – inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
He also served on the Empire Plaza Art Commission under the late Gov. Mario Cuomo.
News of Lipka’s death sparked a flood of online tributes from his former students, including Erin McGraw Pytell, who remembered him as one of her “all-time favorite teachers.”
“Mr. Lipka was my art teacher at CHS and he was just wonderful,” she wrote on his Legacy memorial page. “I was very shy and he was so kind, helpful and encouraging which I greatly appreciated.”
Judy Burns, another of Lipka’s art students, echoed that sentiment.
“Such a wonderful teacher and man. I took his art classes because he was always so kind to me. I had zero artistic talent, but I never heard that from him,” Burns said. “Thank you for making a big difference in many lives.”
Lipka is survived by his wife Diane; children William, Peter, Stephen, and Kirstin; and grandchildren Alex, Steven, Andrew, Kayleigh, and Gunner.
Funeral services are scheduled for 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 6, at the Fitzgerald Funeral Home in Cohoes.
Relatives said memorial contributions in Lipka’s name can be made to the American Diabetes Association of the Sepsis Alliance.
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