Kitty Hawk – Born July 24, 1939, James Stuart Shipley passed away peacefully on September 4, 2021, at his home in Kitty Hawk. Though born in Kansas City, MO, he was raised in Southern California and fell in love with the outer banks in the late 60s.
He was a dedicated member of the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses and there wasn’t one person he wouldn’t let pass without teaching them how to become a better person with help from the bible. He was always willing to help someone in need. Jim would even guide young wayward “punks” as some have said to help them grow into better men. He loved anything water related from boogie boarding to sailing and racing cars and building surfboards to being one of the first 200 surfers in the United States.
He has had many accomplishments in life from being a tradesman, building some of the first houses in Corolla to being a part of the engineering group with NASA and the Apollo Program. He was also a N.E.S.T volunteer on the Outer Banks Beaches and was affiliated with the Corolla Wild Horses for many years.
He leaves behind his wife of 49 years, Mary Ann of Kitty Hawk; his six children, Dr. Anthony Warren (Karla) of TX, Judith LaPraire of FL, Dawn Butcher (Greg) of Kill Devil Hills, Elizabeth Thurston (Neil) of Nags Head, Amanda Brophy (Sean) of Kitty Hawk, Anna McCurdy (Aaron) of Kill Devil Hills and eight grandchildren, Rebecca, Mitchell, Finnegan, Josephine, Addie, Benjamin, Jacob, and Kathryn; niece, Tracy Pratt (Stanley) of ID; brother, Leonard Warren (Genia) of FL and many other close friends he would consider family.
Jim has many friends with many stories to tell. If you have one, please feel free to share it with the family via jimshipleymemorial@gmail.com If you would like to view one last tribute to Jim’s life, please visit:
https://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/video/13839248/
A Zoom memorial service will be held at 4pm, Saturday, September 11, 2021, at www.zoom.com, Meeting ID 819 7956 7824, Passcode 889847. A local paddle out ceremony honoring Jim’s memory is pending.
The family is grateful for the assistance of Dare County Emergency Management Systems and The Kitty Hawk Fire Department offered over the past several weeks. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to https://donate.jw.org/ui/E/donate-home.html#/donate, Christian Congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Condolences may be expressed at www.gallopfuneralservices.com. Gallop Funeral Services, Inc. was entrusted with arrangements.