Our hearts were broken the evening of Oct 30, 2023, when Zachary John Nipper got the final call when he seemingly laid down for a nap and never woke up.
Zachary was born in Springfield, Oregon Nov 5, 1971, to John Erling Nipper and Patricia Ann Ambrose.
The family moved to Gerlach, Nevada when Zach was 3 years old, beginning his nearly lifetime of being a Nevadan.
Always a curious child and quick with the off-the-wall humor, he endeared himself to many.
Talented and strong willed, he was a bit of a challenge in his teen years. He married too young, and it didn’t last long, but the marriage produced his daughter Tessa, whom he loved with all of his being.
He later married Shannon Gull and together they had a son, Brayden, who joined Shannon’s daughter, Tianna, his family then complete.
He loved them all equally and was so proud of them.
He and Shannon later divorced but remained close.
Always the ever-determined dreamer, he handled every stage of his life with adverse tenacity and a lot of ferociousness.
Sometimes brash, often surly, Zach had a way about him that you couldn’t help but admire.
He loved cars, music, whiskey, gettin’ in scraps and fixing things. Zach was a hard worker, working from a young age.
His work ethic was appreciated. He worked at many dangerous jobs, almost losing a finger while well-drilling. He was a talented welder, helping build a power plant in northern Idaho and the TS power plant in Nevada.
He also helped build the autoclaves at what is now the Twin Creeks mine. He later became an underground electrician and worked at several northern Nevada mines.
He was also talented at construction and mechanics. Zach semi-retired in 2021, wanting to focus on passion projects he’d been putting off most of his life.
He was quite the artist, having a meticulous eye for detail. He was a great cook but you had to have patience when he was in the kitchen!
And you had better have the ketchup ready! He was good at gardening as well.
Remaining to mourn him are his mother and step-father, Patricia and Lyle Adams, Hagerman, Id, his brothers Devon Nipper and Zeb Nipper, Winnemucca, Nv, sister Sarreah Nipper (Shane Vanderpool), Twin Falls, Id. Daughter Tessa of Idaho and granddaughter, Pearl of Idaho, daughter Tianna Wahl and granddaughter, Azazel, and son Brayden Nipper all of Nevada.
Also should be mentioned are his fierce friends Aaron Aitken, whom he has known since middle school, and Lonnie Hammergren, also of Nevada.
He was preceded in death by his father John E Nipper, grandparents Cephus and Grace Ambrose-who had much influence on him and loved their “Zachy”, and grandparents Jack & Jean Nipper, who were also influential to his personality.
Left to mourn also are aunts Zora Fansler, Aysa Thaete, Sandra Ambrose, Geri Lusk and one Uncle Don Baker, all of Idaho, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
Some loved him, some disliked him, but Zach made sure that you never forgot him, no matter the encounter.
We will miss him more than he will ever know, and we will see him again, someday.
Zach would’ve hated the idea of a bunch of people standing over him and bawling.
As such, we have decided that a formal funeral will not be held in the traditional sense.
Due to the relatively-unknown nature & timing of death, a Celebration of Life will be announced at a much later date.