POCATELLO — Anyone who had the chance to meet Chris Lippie knows they would be hard pressed to find a more genuine and likable human being.

Close friends of the UPS driver who died in a tragic accident on Interstate 15 while on his way to work last Friday described Lippie, 46, of Pocatello, as one of the most down-to-earth, carefree and authentic people they’ve ever been around.

“I considered him my brother,” said Mandalyn Robinson, a close friend of Lippie, whom she met through her boyfriend and fellow UPS driver. “He was friends with everybody and was just one of those people who would drop everything he was doing to help out.”

Born in Australia, Lippie moved back to the United States with his parents when he was young, said Robinson, adding that he grew up in Redmond, Washington, where he started his career with UPS in 1994 at just 18 years old.

When Lippie moved to the Gate City in 2014, he continued to work for UPS. He joined the Teamsters Local 983 union where he met fellow Pocatello driver and close friend Adam Ketzenberg. Ironically, Lippie and Ketzenberg started their careers with UPS at the same warehouse in Redmond, Ketzenberg said.

“We both started out at this really big hub in Redmond, which is in the Seattle area and the heart of where Microsoft and Google are located,” Ketzenberg said. “I started my career there back in 2006 and Lippie started at the same place in the 1990s. We have very similar stories between the two of us — both of us started out as part-timers and worked our way up to become drivers.”

Ketzenberg said Lippie was one of the first drivers to welcome him to the local team when he moved here in 2019.

“He showed me the ropes like a big brother and took me under his wing,” Ketzenberg said. “He totally helped me grasp the difference between working here in Pocatello and at the massive hub in Redmond.”

UPS said this about Lippie’s passing:

“We are heartbroken by the loss of our driver Chris Lippie and extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends. Those who knew Chris said he took pride in his work, and his positive attitude and joyful laugh made the hardest days a little lighter. Chris was held in high regard and will be greatly missed.”

Putting others before himself was a common occurrence for Lippie. Yet at the same time, he loved being the center of attention, Robinson said.

“He was definitely the life of the party,” she said. “He loved being around the young kids and I can still see him dancing around in the yard with the little ones. He loved having friends around and always made sure you were having a good time.”

Lippie was incredibly hard working, Robinson said. For a long while he worked a route in the Yellowstone Avenue area in Pocatello but recently started delivering in the Blackfoot area, she added. He was on his way to work on Friday when tragedy struck.

Lippie died at Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello following the Friday crash on Interstate 15 south of Blackfoot, the Bannock County Coroner’s Office reported last week.

Lippie had been airlifted via emergency helicopter from the crash scene to PMC after losing control of his 2018 Freightliner UPS truck while traveling northbound on Interstate 15, Idaho State Police said.

Lippie’s UPS truck subsequently entered the median, crossed Interstate 15’s southbound lanes, left the freeway and overturned, state police said. The crash remains under investigation by state police.

Bannock County Coroner Torey Danner says Lippie’s autopsy was on Wednesday but it could take upwards of six months before his office receives the final reports listing Lppie’s official cause and manner of death.

Robinson says friends and family believe Lippie suffered some type of medical emergency, possibly a heart attack, in the moments leading up to the crash.

“That was the consensus when I was up at the hospital after I first got the call, that he suffered a heart attack,” Robinson said. “He made no attempt to stop or correct his vehicle. And, I mean, he’s been driving for UPS now for 28 years and drives all over the country in his free time. He definitely knew how to drive so the possibility that he had a heart attack checks out.”

When Lippie wasn’t working, he was traveling — calling Robinson from places like San Diego and Las Vegas — putting back some cold ones with friends or family and doing all of the above with songs from his favorite band Tool blasting in the background.

“He really loved music and was this huge rocker,” Ketzenberg said. “He was so funny, always cracking jokes and making our jobs easier through laughter. He was always there for me to talk to while we were working. Throughout the work day, Chris and I would talk on the phone and if there was something that bothered me, we could call each other and blow off steam and work through it. Stuff like ‘Man, I was so annoyed about that dog that just tried to eat me.’”

It’s apparent those who knew Lippie would struggle to find something negative to say about him, but the most unfortunate part of his untimely passing is the fact that one person who will likely miss him the most can’t even speak yet.

Lippie is the father of four. He has three children from a previous marriage — ages 21, 19 and 12 — and he just welcomed his youngest son, Axl, into the world two months ago.

“Axl is never going to be able to meet his father,” Robinson said. “I mean, he’ll know his dad through everybody else and get to hear his voice and see him in videos but that’s not the same. In some weird way it’s like Chris is watching over him but that doesn’t forgive the fact that Axl just won’t have his dad.”

She continued, “And for Chris to be this good, fun and comforting person and never get to share that with his son is just heartbreaking.”

To assist Lippie’s family with funeral expenses and to alleviate some of the financial burden that comes after a family loses the primary breadwinner, his close friends started an online fundraiser. Those interested in donating to the campaign, can do so by visiting the following case-sensitive link ffnd.co/Bd132F. As of Wednesday evening, the campaign had raised $3,760 of its $50,000 goal.

A celebration of life for Lippie is set for 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, at the Liberty Hall Event Center, located at 325 W. Benton St. in Pocatello.