Memorial service for LTC (Retired) John Dudley Piper will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, September 26, 2025 in Becker-Rabon Funeral Home Chapel.

Arrangements are under direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home.

The service may be viewed by following the livestream link at www.beckerfuneral.com or by visiting the Becker-Rabon Funeral Home Facebook page.

LTC (Retired) John Dudley Piper passed away on Sunday, September 21, 2025, at his home in Lawton, Oklahoma, at the age of 82.

He was born on February 6, 1943, in Woodbridge, New Hampshire, and grew up in Vermont. John graduated from Bradford Academy in Bradford, New Hampshire, before earning his undergraduate degree from The Citadel. He later completed a master's degree in counseling from Central Texas College in Killeen, Texas. On August 30, 1971, he married Virginia Brown in Lawton, Oklahoma, and together they shared more than five decades of marriage.

John served his country with honor and distinction as a career Army officer. A Vietnam veteran, he completed two tours of duty and was the recipient of numerous awards and decorations, including the Bronze Star Medal with three oak leaf clusters. After his retirement from the Army, he continued to dedicate himself to service through education, teaching in various school systems across Oklahoma.

He was a proud member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Military Officers Association, and the Vietnam Veterans Association. John and Virginia also volunteered as docents at the Philbrook Museum of Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In his leisure time, he enjoyed gardening and found joy in tending to his plants.

He is survived by his wife, Virginia, of the home; his four children and their spouses, Deborah and Joe Silva, Donna Piper, Danna and Robert Redding and Robert Piper; eight grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; one great great grandson; a brother and sister-in-law, Norman and Jennifer Poutré; and his sister and brother-in-law, Marian and Dave Comstock.

His father and step mother, Kenneth Vernon Piper and Joyce Piper, and his mother and stepfather, Betty and Bob Poutré, preceded him in death.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the PBS Broadcasting System or to the American Cancer Society.

An online guest book and sympathy cards are available at www.beckerfuneral.com