Obituary of Gary “Papa” Lee Shipman

We are mourning the passing of our “Papa”, Gary Lee Shipman who went home to the Lord on Monday, May 15, 2017. He was a beloved husband, exceptional father, and irreplaceable grandpa. Gary was born in Superior, Wisconsin on April 7, 1944. He grew up in Sarasota, Florida and moved to Tyler, Texas where he graduated from high school and met his wife Suzanne, he then graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in Business Administration, before returning to Florida to remain a central Florida resident. He held a wide array of jobs- owning hardware stores, a State of Florida Game Commission Wildlife Officer, and later a real estate broker. Gary was an avid fisherman, hunter, nature and animal lover, and scuba diver. But most of all, he was a protector and provider for his family. His greatest joy was time spent with his grandkids; he spent hours playing with, caring for, and teaching Joseph, Elle, and Luke. He is survived by his wife Suzanne, son Brent, daughter Amy, and sisters Debbie Wells and Dawn McClelland. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 27, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at the Calvary Chapel Melbourne Campus, in the small chapel, 2955 Minton Road, West Melbourne, FL, 32904. In lieu of flowers, we are asking those who wish to make a donation to your local ASPCA/Animal Rescue group as dad was such an animal lover! Arrangements by Ammen Family Cremation & Funeral Care, 1001 Hickory St., Melbourne, 724-2222.