Michael J. Lippe, Foreign Service officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development for two decades including assignments in Tunisia, the Ivory Coast and Kenya before his retirement in 1996, died April 28, 2014 at a hospital in Washington. The cause was respiratory failure resulting from pancreatic cancer, said his brother Stuart Lippe. Michael was born in Columbus, Ohio, and spent much of his childhood overseas as the son of a diplomat. In the '60s, he received his JD from Harvard and was a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana. He then went to work for USAID, with a focus in urban development and housing, largely in Africa. Michael became interested in mediation and did work on behalf of refugees seeking asylum in the United States, providing pro bono services to refugees in the D.C. area.

In late 2007 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and his world changed. His focus now centered on staying well and living fully.

Before his death, Michael was planning to move to New Zealand where his youngest son had settled. His second oldest son, Motho was busy helping him get ready for the move. In the end, he had 6 years beyond his wildest expectations and most of those years were pain free and relatively active. He wrote a book, and continued traveling for pleasure. He was always involved in the well being of his children and his grandchildren.

With his physician, Dung T. Le, he wrote the book “Pancreatic Cancer: A Patient and His Doctor Balance Hope and Truth” (2011).

He is survived by his four sons; Motaki, Motho, Thapelo, and Leungo; seven grandchildren; his former wives Lesego Lippe and Beth Bellamy; his brother Stuart, and sister Laurie.

From something Michael wrote: "I was born in 1943, in Columbus, Ohio, but I grew up in places like Cuba, Singapore, and Belgium. It sounds exciting and it was, but it also meant that I didn't really get to know my own country until much later.

After law school, I decided that a legal career was not really in my future. I joined the Peace Corps, where I served three years in Botswana. As many others have said of their time in the Peace Corps, it was the job of a lifetime. I met my first wife there, married and adopted her three boys, and we decided to continue an international-style life. During the next twenty years, this led us to places such as Kenya, Tunisia, and the Ivory Coast. We also added one more son to our family. I retired in 1996, but continued to work internationally as a consultant. Botswana had been a defining moment in my life. What came next was also one. In December 2007, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I fully expected to die in 2008, but when this did not happen, I decided to write a book on this experience with my amazing oncologist, Dung T. Le, MD. At this point in my life, at an age I never expected to reach, I take things very slowly. I do n't plan too far into the future. I do, however, think about another book, and may just try it."