Mitchell Lipka

Mitchell S. Lipka, 53, of Worcester, died on Sunday, January 17, 2016. He is survived by hiswife, Christi (Sprunger) Lipka, and their twin children, Sam and Lily, all of Worcester.He is also survived by his mother, Ann (Seidner) Lipka of Whitestone, NY; a brother, JerryLipka (Janet) of Fairbanks, AK; a sister, Ronnie Modena (Robert) of Whitestone. He is alsosurvived by his father and mother‐in‐law, Robert and Patricia Sprunger of Holden; twobrothers‐in‐law, Patrick Sprunger (Christine) of Barrington, RI, and Andrew Sprunger(Heather) of Holden; a sister‐in‐law, Meg Ives (Tom) of Worcester; many nieces andnephews. Mitch was born in Whitestone, NY, son of the late, Sam Lipka.Mitch’s work was the true passion of his life. He had a successful, thirty‐year career as areporter and editor. Mitch found his niche in consumer journalism and became one of thecountry’s leading consumer advocates, work he was happy to continue up until his passing.A champion of consumer rights, he focused on product safety and consumer fraud.Mitch’s outstanding contributions to child product safety earned him the KID Best FriendAward, given in 2011, by the organization, Kids in Danger. He also received the 2010 NewYork Press Club Award for Best Consumer Writing on the Internet.A graduate of Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, Mitch went on towork for a variety of print and online publications. Mitch worked for several years for theAnchorage Times, the South Florida Sun Sentinel and the Philadelphia Inquirer. In recentyears, Mitch wrote columns for the Boston Globe and the Telegram & Gazette. He alsoauthored articles regularly for Reuters and CBS MoneyWatch.Relatives and friends will gather for Calling Hours on Thursday, January 21, from 5 p.m.until 8 p.m. in MERCADANTE FUNERAL HOME & CHAPEL, 370 Plantation Street, Worcester.His Funeral Service will be held on Friday, January 22, at 11 a.m. in First Unitarian Church,90 Main Street, Worcester. Interment will follow in Hope Cemetery, Worcester.In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Kids in Danger in care ofwww.kidsindanger.org .