SAN DIEGO (FOX /KUSI) — After the victim of a Coronado house fire Friday afternoon was identified, his lifelong friends shared memories of the man they knew simply as “Kippy.”
Bob Kipperman, known as “Kippy” to those in his close circle, died last Friday when his home in the 1400 block of 6th Street went up in flames.
“I didn’t think much about the fire, but when I found out Bob Kipperman had passed away in the fire, I was devastated like almost everyone I know,” said Paul Plum, one of his lifelong friends and a retired U.S. Navy SEAL. “It was an incredible thing. Who dies in fires? Certainly not your friends and certainly not someone as nice as Bob is.”
RELATED: At least one person dead in Coronado house fire: SDFD
Wayne Strickland, a retired Coronado firefighter, was away on an RV trip when he heard about the incident and could not believe it was Kippy who had passed away.
Kipperman was a known face on Coronado Island. His family owned and operated Kippy’s, a local store on Orange Avenue that sold fashionable clothing such as jackets, button-downs and evening wear. It’s been closed for about a decade, but it’s how Kippy got his nickname, “The King of Bling.”
“One of his belts was displayed at a halftime Super Bowl show and it was the girl, Madonna,” said Dr. John Morton, another one of Kippy’s friends. “That was a huge thing.”
Twenty years ago, he was also the founding member of the Island Beer Club, a group of people who gathered to discuss current events over a cold beverage, most often in an alley behind someone’s house on Wednesday afternoons.
“He was a great asset to Coronado and will truly be missed by all,” said Strickland.
Although Kippy is gone, his memory lives on through the lives of many people he has built a friendship with over the years. A date for a memorial in his honor has yet to be announced.
As of Monday, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.
