Gary Shipley

Gary E. Shipley, 78, of Glendale, AZ, passed away on March 21, 2022, at Arrowhead Hospital. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 2nd at 11 am at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Glendale, AZ, with his burial service occurring in Doniphan, NE, at a later date. Gary was born November 14, 1943, in the Prisoner of War Camp in Florence, AZ, to Eugene (Gene) and Mary (Parker) Shipley. He was baptized into the Lutheran Church on April 1, 1951. Gary attended rural grade school in the Valentine, NE, area. He attended high school for two years at Northwestern Lutheran Academy in Mobridge, SD, before returning to Valentine High School and graduating in 1961. After high school graduation, he attended Chadron State College in Nebraska. He was a proud Eagle alumni. Gary married Barbara Riese in Valentine, NE, on May 28, 1965. They spent the first year of their marriage in El Paso, TX, before relocating to Grand Island, NE, where Gary was employed at the Cornhusker Ordnance Plant and attended Kearney State College obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in January of 1968. Gary and Barb moved to Columbus in 1968 and made that community their home for the next 26 years. Gary worked at Dale Electronics and Behlen Manufacturing. While in Columbus, Gary was very active in the community. He participated and held leadership positions in organizations such as Toastmasters, Platte Valley Playhouse Community Theatre, City of Columbus Planning Commission, Dale Credit Union, Junior Achievement, and Trinity Lutheran Church. He played, coached, and umpired softball and was a member of several bowling leagues. In 1994, Gary and Barb moved to Glendale, AZ. While in Arizona, Gary was active in Toastmasters and the Salt River Gadabouts Camping Group. Gary retired from his job as a laboratory auditor for the State of Arizona in 2013. He was a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Glendale, AZ. After their retirements, Gary and Barb enjoyed traveling. Together they visited the 48 contiguous states. Gary loved life and never turned down an invitation to gather with friends or family. Gary is survived by his wife of 56 years, Barbara Shipley; his three daughters Rhonda (Steve Schroeder) McBride, Pam (Joe) Dobrovolny, and Jennifer (Alan) Roland; his six grandchildren, Michelle Dobrovolny, Jacob (Hannah) Dobrovolny, Zachary (Dana) Dobrovolny, Parker (Ivon Medrano) Shipley-Roland, Tara McBride, and Lindsay McBride; great grandson Brecken Dobrovolny; his sister Marilyn (Ken) Stephens; his brother-in-law Larry Riese; nieces, nephews, and cousins. Gary was preceded in death by his parents and infant brother, Robert. The family has requested that remembrances be made in the form of contributions to: St. John’s Lutheran Church (Glendale, AZ) Endowment Fund.