In Memory

Charles Shipley

Date Deceased: August 2007
Age at Death:
Cause of Death: Heart Failure
Classmate City:
Classmate State:
Classmate Country:
Survived By:

Charlie was one of those likeable guys.

I remember when we first met in Mr. Silverburg's Freshman English class. Charlie was the class clown and Mr. Silverburg tapped him with Family name as the preferred mode of address, I think perhaps, that stuck for the rest of his life. Continuously cracking jokes, and having a wonderful and easily proffered smile... Mr. Silverburg would always say "Shipley there's a million of them out there starving to death (undiscovered comedians) and you have to be one of them !" I will never forget that day or Charlie's infectious smile. I also will never forget going over to his house after school to meet Mick Jagger; within seconds of the early notes, the metamorphosis would take place and usually, "It's All Over Now" would be the first of the show. You know he sounded more like Mick Jagger than Mick Jagger did, and Charlie (Shipley ) was better looking too. Charlie and I became very, very good friends in high school and through our college years. There was a serious side to him though that many of us may not have come to know. I know that he was a caring and thoughtful human being who fought for things most of us choose only to talk about. Yeah - he was that kind a guy.

Fast forwarding...I saw Chuck (as I called him) about once a year or so after college and we would talk on the phone every 6 months or so as well, so we kept in touch but we didn't really touch, it was long distance, yet every time was like we had just hung up again and called back. So my brother, Clark and I were planning a family fishing trip to the Arizona White Mountains in June of 2007. I called Chuck to see if we could meet him in Phoenix somewhere on our way up. Clark & I and my sisters met Chuck and Greg Knox at a restaurant in Chandler for some two hours or so. It was a very therapeutic two hours as it was filled with a steady stream of laughter, memories, stories - more laughter. When we departed, my sisters were exhausted!

It was early in August of 2007 that I received the call from Greg Knox, and I learned that "The Smile" had passed, the jokes all had been told, and that Mick would sing no more. Greg and I talked about how grateful we were to have had those impromptu two hours with the "Ship" to have seen him one more time, and what a stroke of random luck it was that it had happened at all. I cried for Chuck that day, but I cried for me that night as probably I did for all of us who knew him... for he was just one of those likeable guys I guess...

Except... everybody loved him too.

Mark

We know that Charlie died suddenly of heart trouble. He had been very interested in the reunion and had begun to be involved in the planning.



 
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04/28/08 01:10 PM #1    

Nancy Greener (Braswell)

Edited/paraphrased from his obituary in The Arizona Republic, July 29, 2007:

Charles W. (Chuck) Shipley moved to Arizona from Waco, Texas in 1963 and earned his Bachelor of Science from Northern Arizona University in 1975.

His three-decade career encompassed the health care industry, the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and other business and professional trade associations. He was also a lobbyist, trade association manager and professional consultant.

He was involved with several non-profit organizations, among them the Arizona Clean and Beautiful Board of Directors, the Arizona Business Council for Alcohol Education Board of Directors, the Hemophilia Association Board of Directors, the Chandler Regional Hospital Board of Directors, the Maricopa Medical Center Advisory Board, as well as numerous legislatively appointed task forces and committees on issues ranging from tax policy to child support.

Chuck is remembered for his dedication to community causes and his sense of humor, specifically the ability to laugh at himself. He left behind many friends, and is survived by his mother Elizabeth Shipley, brother David Shipley and beloved sons Christopher Shipley and Colin Shipley.

05/21/08 06:12 PM #2    

Karen Shields (Griffin)

I am so saddened to hear about Charlie's passing. One of my favorite memories of Charlie (who always looked as if he had one hand in the cookie jar with that grin of his!) was when we sat together at graduation. Charlie, prankster that he was, brought a deck of cards with him and we sat there playing a game of Gin-Rummy while they announced the A's thru R's and half the S's.

05/28/08 06:20 PM #3    

Kirstie Wilde

Charlie's was one of the senior pictures I've saved all these years, and I'd planned to bring it to the reunion and compare his twinkling eyes and happy grin of 40 years ago with what I was sure would be unchanged in his face today.
So sorry to hear of his passing. The last line he wrote on his photo to me was, "Thanks a lot for all the fun".
I'd like to thank Charlie, too.
If you'd like to see his photo, go to my profile. I don't know if it's possible to add it here...
Kirstie

06/05/08 07:21 PM #4    

Fred Skydog Emerling

chuck shipley, chuck maultsby, and i (along with who else??)lived on the air force base in del rio, texas in the early 60s. we all ended up in tucson when our fathers were transferred but we never really hung out together. shipley was supposed to have playboy playmate pictures in his room on the base but i never saw them. on occasion, we would be in the same group on the base but seldom saw each other at palo verde. my best to his family

fred skydog emerling

07/30/08 08:35 PM #5    

Bill Hudson

I met Charlie in our last year or two at PV. It seemed he was always looking for an ‘in’ to hit me with a monster put-down. The best one came last. He signed my yearbook; “Bill Hudson, I had car that name. Didn’t run very good either. Hope you get drafted (Marines) Love and Kisses Charlie.”

How ya gonna beat that… RIP Charlie



03/12/09 05:07 AM #6    

Chuck Maultsby

Charlie (he became "Charlie" because we were both "Chucks" and a difference was needed)and I did some growing up together at Laughlin AFB in Del Rio Texas. We lived on the same street, attended the same schools, played full contact football together in Jr High, played Little League baseball together, tried to kiss the same girls.... you all get the picture. Our Dads were transfered to DM. His Dad transfered a year befor mine, so Charlie was already "established" at Townsend and Indian Ridge when I arrived for our freshman year, so I had a built-in best friend in my new town! I will always be grateful to him for introducing me around and showing me how to register at this new gigantic high school. Going back as far as 5th grade, Charlie was a great natural comic! He always lit up a room with his grin, goofy faces, his comic body language, and endless wisecracks (speaking of wisecracks: how's yer mom?... oh that was a low blow, speaking of low blows: hows yer sister)....I could go on....but.... Anyways, the one thing that saddened Charlie was the fact that he "never got the girl". Oh he was popular alright, knew all the popular people, was in the "in crowd", but he "never got the girl"....at least during the school years.... I didn't have a big brother so Charlie's big brother Dave looked after the both of us. Oh Dave (and his gang) would smack us around and torment us, but-by-god they never let anyone else lay a finger on us (which came in real handy a few times). Charlie and I were best pals until our junior year when I rapidly drifted off into the counter-culture-hippie-sex-drugs-rock n roll thing and he didn't (well, he was always a rock n roller, and an enthusiastic dancer) We did remain pals to the end I'm happy to say! He sometimes would show up at one of my band gigs (sometimes with brother Dave or his sons in tow) and grin and give me a thumbs-up...There was the occassional "hows it goin" phone call.....there is a whole book I could write.....but Ya know, I'm getting pretty sad just thinking back on all this.....I think I'll go lay down awhile.... Suffice to say: Charlie Shipley was my friend and I miss him...

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