RICHARD F. SHIPLEY, 77, of Cromwell, passed away on Sunday, Nov. 6, 2011, at his home. Born Dec. 25, 1933, in Fort Wayne, he was the son of the late Ralph L. and Elenor E. (Stellhorn) Shipley. He graduated in 1952 from North Side High School, Fort Wayne. He married Opal L. Evans on Aug. 22, 1953, in Fort Wayne; she preceded him in death in December of 1980. He moved to the Syracuse area in 1966 from Fort Wayne and lived briefly in Leesburg, Fla. He served in the United States Navy Reserves and was a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association, in Oshkosh, Wis. He retired in 1975 from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette after 25 years of service. He also worked as a purchasing agent in the manufacturing industry in Northern Indiana. Surviving are his three daughters, Roxanne (Jack) McMahan of St. Augustine, Fla., Renee (Tony) Laws of Granger, Ind., Rhonda (Derrick) Peacock of Middlebury, Ind.; five sons, Richard (Valerie) Shipley Jr. and Rob Shipley, both of Cromwell, Randy (Clarissa) Shipley of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., Rex (Shirley) Shipley of Cromwell, and Roger (Nancy) Shipley of Goshen, Ind.; 27 grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; sister, Norma (Edward) Peterson of Fort Wayne; and brothers, Norman (Cara) Shipley of New Haven and Steven (Kim) Shipley of Fort Wayne. He was also preceded in death by his sister, Sharon Bunnell. Funeral service 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, at Owen Family Funeral Home, 1001 S. Huntington St., Syracuse, with the Rev. Harlan Steffen officiating. Visitation is from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, at the funeral home. Burial will follow service in the Syracuse Cemetery. Memorial bequest may be given to the , 601 W. Edison Road, Mishawaka, IN 46545. Envelopes will be available at the funeral home. To send condolences to the family in Mr. Shipley's memory, please visit www.owenfamilyfuneralhome.com
Published in Fort Wayne Newspapers on November 8, 2011.