Curtis G. Tippit dies at 67

Curtis Glenn Tippit, age 67

 

BY DALE K. MYERS

The youngest son of Dallas Patrolman J.D. Tippit has died at the age of 67.

Curtis Glenn Tippit passed away Sunday night (01/04) at 10:36 p.m. at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas, surrounded by his family.

His death was sudden and unexpected, caused by Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APL), a rare and aggressive form of cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

He was born in Dallas, Texas, on December 10, 1958, the second son of J.D. and Marie Frances (Gasway) Tippit. Curtis was just shy of five-years-old when his father was murdered at Tenth and Patton in Oak Cliff in the aftermath of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 

Lee Harvey Oswald, who was arrested and charged with the murder of Patrolman Tippit, was killed by nightclub owner Jack Ruby two days after his arrest.

FIG. 2 – Marie Tippit and children on Saturday, November 23, 1963 (from left) Brenda, 10; Curtis, 4; and Allen, 13. / Credit: The Dallas Morning News Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

 

Curtis Tippit had few first-hand memories of his father, but those memories were vivid and recalled with fondness.

He attended T.G. Elementary School, W.H. Atwell Junior High, and graduated from Dallas Christian High School in 1977.

Curtis married Betty Jo Hutchison on March 2, 1984, and together they raised six daughters and two sons, the eldest named after his paternal grandfather. Betty Jo passed away in 2019, at age 60.

Curtis’ brother Allen died in 2014 and his mother passed away in 2021.

Curtis’ last public appearance was at the Street Topper Ceremony held at Tenth and Patton in Oak Cliff on November 14, 2025. The ceremony acknowledged the sacrifice made by his father, J.D. Tippit, on November 22, 1963.

Curtis spoke to the gathered crowd, recalling a few personal memories he had of his father, and how he was honored to participate in the ceremony. “It deeply touched my heart and I will always treasure this,” he said. “It means so much that you are helping my father’s name and his legacy live on. I just – not myself, I’m speaking for my family – are so grateful for the way policemen take care of and administer to their fallen officers. Thank you all, very much.”

Curtis was a soft-spoken, kind and gentle soul who valued his faith and family.

He is survived by his sister, Brenda; eight children and numerous grandchildren. Burial will be alongside his wife at Hart Cemetery, in Greenville, Texas, on Thursday, January 8. [END]