Sue (Dickson) Shipley's Obituary
It is easy to say the usual. Sue Shipley was a devoted wife, a loving mother, church and community volunteer, and a funny and giving person. But, like every snowflake, every life is unique, created by the Master Designer.
Sue was born on May 2, 1929 in Chicago, IL. Her parents, Lorraine and Dick Dickson, later moved to Buffalo, NY. At nine years of age, Sue contracted scarlet fever. Her mother said, “That’s it, we’re moving south.” They moved to Greenville, TX to be with Sue’s grandparents. Sue often recalled picking cotton in the summers and playing with the boys because the girls were too “gossipy.” At age 14, the family made its final move to Dallas.
Sue graduated from Highland Park High School in 1946 and attended SMU. After her freshman year, she transferred to the University of Colorado to major in journalism. In Geology class, Sue met Howard Shipley. They married on Oct. 22, 1951. Sue had two daughters, Susan and Lorraine, and three grandchildren, Joy Chavez de Bermudez, Hope Chavez, and Nathan Denman. Unique to her life was her unwavering devotion to everybody and anybody she met. She always took time with strangers and listened to their life stories.
Sue’s other love was words and people who came to this country who did not understand the words of our language. She taught English through the Conversational English Class ministry of First Baptist Church, but she was so much more than a teacher. Sue’s international friends were always in her heart and home. Every year at Thanksgiving and Christmas, she filled her home with 25-30 friends from around the world along with her family. She poured her energies into helping these friends with jobs, immigration, education, and adjusting to life here.
As time went on, Sue did not slow down. She devoted herself to another passion: exegetical study of the Bible. She was already an excellent Bible student but found Bible Study Fellowship which helped her learn in more detail, and, by becoming a discussion leader, to teach others the value of God’s Word.
Alzheimer’s disease began to slow her mind in 2013. Her final years were spent being loved by her family and her caregivers. On March 30, 2021, the condition took its toll on her body, but not on her soul. On that day, she heard the words of her Savior: “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”
Sue is survived by her daughters, Susan Shipley (Frank) Chavez, and Lorraine Shipley Denman; and grandchildren, Joy Chavez Bermudez, Hope Chavez, Nathan Denman; as well as cousins, nieces, and nephews.
A funeral service will be held at 1:00 PM with visitation one hour prior on Wednesday, April 7, 2021, at First Baptist Church in the Truett Chapel, Dallas, TX. A graveside committal will follow the service at Restland Funeral Home Cemetery, in Veteran's II Garden. For the safety of high risk family members, face masks are required and social distancing will be practiced.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Bible Study Fellowship at 19001 Huebner Rd, San Antonio, TX 78258, or the Alzheimer's Association at P.O. Box 96011, Washington, D.C., 20090.
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