Description of William Francis Shippey (1839-1898)
Extract from Chapter 1 of "Luckiest Man Alive" by Henry Lee Shippey (son of William Francis Shippey), Westerlore Press, 1959, pp.9-13)
I didn’t want to meet the train. I wanted to spend the afternoon at school, for I stood high in class and in the games we played on the school grounds. But Mother had said: “Your father wouldn’t hesitate about going to meet you,” and I knew that was true. Father never hesitated to put himself out when any courtesy seemed called for. Still, Father had been taking those trips to health resorts frequently the last two years and always before he had said goodby [sic] to us at home, just as he did before going to his office, had carried his bag himself and had come home the same way, loath to inconvenience anyone.
But this time Father had telegraphed from Colorado Springs: “Arrive home a 4 p.m. train Tuesday.” Always before he had written, for telegrams cost much more than letters and a man with four children to educate couldn’t be wasteful.
Father was thrifty for his family. Yet he never talked poor nor dodged any obligation. He had given my sisters advantages which Mr. Kamp, whose income was much bigger, felt he couldn’t afford for his daughters, and I knew he planned to do the same for me. So I grudgingly went to meet him at the railway station, four miles away by streetcar.
The train was nearly an hour late, and when it arrived I thought I had had the trip for nothing. The stream of passengers dwindled to one or two who moved slowly, then ceased, and Father had not appeared. I had never met a train before, and the embarrassment of ignorance made me wish to hurry away and report that Father had missed the train. I felt such a bumpkin that I stood irresolute, trying to nerve myself to ask the porter if he was sure that was the train from Colorado Springs or the only one which was due at anywhere near that time. Then I saw Father. He was walking very slowly and seemed hardly able to carry his suitcase. But he smiled at the sight of me and said: “Thank you, son. I’m glad to see you.” I reached for the suitcase and Father came down one step at a time, holding to the guard rail as if he feared to fall.
“Are you all right?” I asked. He smiled reassuringly. “Just very tired,” he said. “It was a tiresome trip.” When he stood beside me he took my arm for support, and he bent so that he was no taller than I was. When he stood straight he was three inches taller, a little more than five feet eleven. But I accepted his statement that he was merely very tired and led the way to the streetcar. I had never been in a hack and did not dream of hiring one. It was a very slow walk to the streetcar. There was one vacant seat and Father took it. But a few blocks farther on a woman boarded the car and Father got up and gave her his seat. She took it, but then she looked at him keenly and arose.
“Oh no,” she cried. “I mustn’t take your seat. You’re ill!” Then I, too, searched his face and know he was ill, despite his smiling reassurances. Father was a handsome man whose graceful body tapered from broad shoulders to the comparatively small waistline, from strong hips to small feet. He had been a junior naval officer when the War Between the States began, but had been educated in Virginia and regarded himself as a Virginian. He had written out his resignation, left it in his cabin, and decamped into Virginia, where he had become a cavalry officer on the staff of General J. E. B. Stuart. He carried himself proudly but never arrogantly, his habitual air being one of respectful deference with no hint of obsequiousness. I never heard him raise his voice but he spoke with quiet command when firmness was required. He never guffawed nor cared for humor which makes men guffaw but his friendly blue eyes and rather a wide mouth smiled readily. His brown hair and sideburns had a reddish tinge and, being naturally curly, usually looked as if he had just come from a hairdresser’s. In the military academy, he had been ordered to give his hair a hundred strokes every day, and he still regarded that as a duty. Now I began to realize that the friendly blue eyes lacked luster and the reassuring smiles lacked conviction. Others noticed it, too. A man across the aisle arose to give his seat to the woman who wouldn’t take Father’s. Father thanked him and resumed his seat. I noticed then that all the persons around us were watching Father anxiously. It seemed hours before we reached our suburban street. I helped Father get off the car, and the conductor helped, too. Our house, crowning a hill, was two blocks uphill from the carline. It took us more than half an hour to reach it. Before we reached it Mother and the girls ran out to us.
“Oh!” I heard Mother’s stricken whisper, “I had no idea -!” I shouldn’t have sent a 15-year-old boy.” “You couldn’t have sent anyone better,” said Father, smiling. “He’s stronger than any of you. I was mighty glad to see him.”
“But he should have taken a cab.” “Don’t worry, dear. I’ll be all right once I get rested.” In my unseeing view, he almost made good on that promise. Supper was waiting and Father sat at the foot of the table. He made us laugh at descriptions of some of the queer characters he had seen at the Springs. Probably Mother was the only one of us who noticed that he could not eat. But after the almost happy supper, it was a task for Mother and me to get Father upstairs. We lived in a three-storied house with a castle-like turret rising from the one large room and bathroom which were the third floor, and since Father’s health and [sic] been failing he and Mother had occupied that room because it was farthest from all the noises of the house. Father had to stop and rest many times before we climbed those flights of stairs. And once we were there Mother pushed me into the hall and whispered:
“Go for the doctor, fast. Your Father is very, very ill.” I could hardly believe it, but I hurried for the doctor. Soon the doctor told us there was no hope. Father was dying from a kidney ailment which modern surgery would have ended with an operation long before. But in 1898 medical science could do little for it.
The doctor sat there, holding one of Father’s hands. Mother knelt on the other side of the bed, holding the other hand, and all of us knelt, smiling at Father but prying in our hearts. “God bless you all,” whispered Father. A few minutes later the doctor said: “He’s gone.”
Capt. William Francis "Frank" Shippey
Elizabeth Kerr Freligh
U.S., Confederate Officers Card Index, 1861-1865 for William Francis Shippey
Shippey Family
December 1891, Kansas City
Capt. W.F. Shippey, after an illness lasting over two years, died at his home from kidney disease at the age of 49 years. He was born in Pensacola, Florida on April 18, 1940. He was educated for the navy and served as a midshipman until 1861, when he resigned to join the Confederacy. He served on the staff of General J.E.B. Stuart until ythe latter's death, but gave up the cavalry for the navy. Captain Shippey took part in the defense of Richmond, being assigned to duty on the James River.
After the had ended, Captain Shippey sailed for Brazil with one of the early colonization efforts. He served as an interpretor for later immigrant, and met his future wife who was a member of Dunn's party. His wife, Elizabeth Kerr Freligh was the daughter of Captain John Henry Frelich of Memphis, Tennessee. They remained in Brazil only a few years before returning to the United States..
In 1887 he and his family relocated to Kansas City where he filled the position of treasurer of the Kansas City & Northwestern railway..
Kansas City Star Mon. Jul. 24, 1899 page 3
The Los Angeles Times Fri. Feb. 19, 1937 page 14
Kansas City Star Tue. Jul. 25, 1899 page 3
The Kansas City Star, Fri. Jul. 28, 1899 page 2
Source:
The Pasadena Post, Fri Feb. 19, 1937 page 5
MRS. SHIPPEY, CONFEDERACY'S HEROINE, DIES
Mother of Newspaper Columnist, Author Widely Mourned
Mrs. Elizabeth Kerr Shippey, the mother of the Sierra Madre author and columnist and who as a small girl aided the cause of the Confederacy by running the Union blockade with medical supplies, died yesterday at her Del Mar, Calif., home. Mrs. Shippey was born in St. Louis, Mo., in 1851 and shortly afterward moved with her family to Memphis, Tenn., where her father, J.H. Freligh became active as a steamboat owner. Mr. Freligh was part owner of a line running from New Orleans to Memphis and became a close friend of Jefferson Davis, later elected president of the ill-fated Confederacy.
Loyalties To The South
Mr. Davis on many occasions was a visitor to the Freligh home and Mrs. Shippey cherished many memories of him. When the Civil War started, the Freligh's were wholeheartedly with the Southern cause. The blockade laid down by the Union Army made importation of war materials, including much-needed medical supplies, impossible through normal channels and the blockade with supplies.
Hidden In Buttons
Mrs. Shippey, although a young girl at the time took an active part with her mother in bringing in medical supplies to ease the suffering of the wounded Confederate soldiers. Mother and daughter dressed in specially made fitted garments with wooden buttons, made many trips through the Union lines to sources in the North. Here the buttons would be taken apart, filled quines, then put back together while other medicines and supplies would be hidden in other secret places in the garments.
Mother and daughter, veritable "angels of mercy," to the wounded Southern soldiers then would make the return trip through the lines unsuspected. Mrs. Freligh became so active in her work in the Confederate cause that she was arrested and imprisoned for aiding prisoners to escape.
Fled To Brazil
After the war, the Frelighs, as did many Southern families, went to Brazil to rebuild their fortunes in the new country. Here, the southern belle met Capt. William Francis Shippey, who as a naval cadet had learned engineering and was aiding in constructing the first Brazilian railroad. They were married and Mrs. Shippey lived for many years in engineering camps far removed from civilization. Six of her children were born in remote Brazilian camps, several when no medical care was available.
Railway Treasurer
Upon returning to the United States, the Shippeys moved to Kansas City where Capt. Shippey became treasurer of the Kansas City and Northern Railroad. Mrs. Shippey moved to California eighteen years ago and for five years lived in Sierra Madre, moving to Del Mar only two years ago.
Funeral services will be held tomorrow at 1:30 o'clock from the Church of the Ascension, Episcopal, in Sierra Madre where Mrs. Shippey was a member during her residence in that community. Services will be conducted by Dean Arnold G. Bode and the interment will be at Sierra Madre Cemetery. Grant Funeral Home is in charge. In addition to her son, Lee Shippey of Sierra Madre, Mrs. Shippey is survived by two daughters, Miss Louisa Shippey and Mrs. Virginia Davis of Del Mar, and another son, C.S. Shippey of Neodesha, Kansas.
SHIPPEY
The Newberry Herald and News
(Newberry, South Carolina) Fri. Nov. 11 11, 1898 page 4
The Kansas City Star Sun. Jun 16, 1912 page 20
Capt. William Francis "Frank" Shippey
Descendants
William Francis "Frank" Shippey
1844–1899
BIRTH 18 APR 1844 • Pensacola, Escambia, Florida, USA
DEATH 24 JUL 1899 • Kansas City, Wyandotte, Kansas, USA
Son of Josiah William Shippey and Louise Brundred
Married: 1870 • Campinas, San Paulo, Brazil
Elizabeth Kerr Freligh
1851–1937
BIRTH 30 JULY 1851 • St Louis, Missouri, USA
DEATH 2 FEB 1937 • Sierra Madre, San Diego County, California, USA
Daughter of John Henry Freligh and Susan Rebecca Ruland
CHILDREN:
1. Louise "Lulu" Rebecca Shippey
2. Virginia Lee "Jennie" Davis Shippey
3. Charles Stuart Shippey
4. Mary Shippey
5. Henry Lee Shippey
1.
Louisa Rebecca "Lulu" Shippey
1871–1963
BIRTH 2 JUN 1871 • Campinas, Sao Palo, Brazil
DEATH 13 DEC 1963 • San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
2.
Virginia "Jennie" Lee Davis Shippey
1873–1955
BIRTH 6 JUL 1873 • Tennessee, USA
DEATH 11 OCT 1955 • Ventura County, California, USA
3.
Charles Stuart Shippey
1876–1953
BIRTH 23 JAN 1876 • Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, USA
DEATH 17 MAR 1953 • New York, USA
Married 1st: 16 Oct 1900 • Leavenworth, Kansas, USA
Margrett Elizabeth O'Donnell
1885–
BIRTH ABT 1885 • Kansas, USA
DEATH Unknown Daughter of Frank O;Donnell and Nellie Fagin
Married 2nd: 1929 • Neodesha, Kansas, USA
Marie Street
1895–1973
BIRTH 21 MAY 1895 • Neodesha, Wilson, Kansas, USA
DEATH 13 APRIL 1973 • Neodesha, Wilson, Kansas, USA
The Leavenworth Times, Wed Oct. 17 1900 page 5
A very pretty wedding was that which took place yesterday afternoon at half past two o'clock when Miss Elizabeth O'Donnell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank O'Donnell were united in marriage to Mr. Charles Stuart Shippey of Kansas City. The ceremony took place at the residence of Father Downey and the bride was attended by her sister Miss Fay O'Donnell and Mr. Charles Morris of Kansas City, acted as best man. The bride was attired in her going away gown of brown cloth, tailor made. Miss Fay O'Donnell wore a blue suit similarily fashioned. After the cermony a luncheion was served at the family home on Arch street. At five o'clock Mr. and <rs. Shippey left for St. Louis, Memphis and New Orleans. Beside the immediate family those presnt were Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Ryan and family, Mrs. and Miss Shippey of Kansas City, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Hayland. After their return Mr. and Mrs. Shippey will be at home at 211 Brooklyn Avenue, Kansas City.
......................................................................................................................................................
The Kansas City Times (Kansas City, Missouri) 18 Mar 1953, Wed Page 3
Brother of Former Member of The Star's Staff Was 77
Neodesha, Kas., March 17. (AP)-- Charles Stuart Shippey, 77, a pioneer in the shale gas industry in this area, died today in the Mercy hospital at Independence, Kas.
Survivors are his wif, Mrs. Marie Shippey, of the home;one daughter, Mrs. M.B. Gardner, Washington, D.C.; two sisters, Mrs. Virginia S. Davis and Miss Louisa Shippey of Sierra Madre, Calif.
Funeral services will be held at 2:20 o'clock Thursday in the Ascension Episcopal church here with the Rev. F.J. Raasch officiating.
......................................................................................................................................................
FIND A GRAVE:
Mrs. Ora D. McClellan died at Wilson County Hospital this morning, Friday, April 13.
Requiem Eucharist and burial service will be held Monday, April 16, at 1:30 p.m. in the Church of the Ascension, Episcopal, Neodesha, with burial in the Street family plot in the Neodesha Cemetery.
Marie Street McClellan was born in Neodesha, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Francis Leonard Street. She lived in Neodesha her entire life.
She was married to C.S. Shippey, who died in 1953. She was married to Ora D. McClellan, former judge of the Seventh Judicial District of Kansas, on Oct. 23, 1963, and he survives at the home.
Mrs. McClellan was a life-long member of the Church of the Ascension, Episcopal, Neodesha. She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, Mrs. Edith Street Searles, and her brother, Arthur L. H. Street.
Neodesha Derrick, April 13, 1973
......................................................................................................................................................
CHILD:
By Charles and Margaret
1.
Helen Elizabeth Shippey
1901–1988
BIRTH 22 JUL 1901 • Leavenworth, Kansas, USA
DEATH 8 APR 1988 • Pensacola, Escambia, Florida, USA
Married: 6 Aug 1929 • Great Falls, Cascade, Montana, USA
Adm. Matthias Bennett Gardner
1897–1975
BIRTH 28 NOV 1897 • Washington, District of Columbia, USA
DEATH 23 AUG 1975 • Escambia County, Florida, USA
.............................................................................................
Source:
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/h81000/h81907c.htm
Matthias Bennett Gardner
Admiral, U.S. Navy
Matthias B. Gardner was born on 28 November 1897. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy with the Class of 1919. Later, Gardner was designated as a Naval Aviator and at one time, was a stunt team leader.
World War II
During 1941-42, Commander Gardner was Chief of Staff in Aircraft, Scouting Force, Pacific Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral John S. McCain. On 11 July 1943, Captain Gardner took Command of the aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CV-6) and remained on her until July 1944. He then briefly served as Commander, Carrier Division 11.
Later, Rear Admiral Gardner assumed command of Carrier Division Seven, "The Navy's First Night Carrier Division." Enterprise operated as part of "CarDiv" Seven from 16 December 1944 to 16 May 1945 and the former Big E skipper naturally chose Enterprise as his flagship.
First of its kind in naval history, the completely new carrier task group operated exclusively at night and joined the Fleet in the Western Pacific to put Admiral McCain's fast carrier task force on a permanent twenty-four hour basis. As a former Navy fighter pilot, the wiry, dark-haired, Gardner was a veteran of Pacific air wars and was regarded as being especially qualified to head the new group. He had also served as Chief of Staff for McCain in 1942, and later on the Enterprise, which had an excellent night flying outfit.
Gardner also served as Assistant Chief of Staff for Plans to the Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Fleet.
On 1 June 1948, the Air Force and Navy transport services were combined to form the Military Air Transport Service (MATS). Under the single-manager concept, the cost-saving operation was to economically and efficiently implement a globe-circling function to air transport people, materiel, mail, strategic materials, and other cargo. MATS became a separate command of the Air Force commanded by Major General Laurence S. Kuter; its Vice Commander was Rear Admiral John P. Whitney. Rear Admiral Mathias B. Gardner was in command of the Pacific Division.
Vice Admiral Gardner commanded the Second Fleet from September 1950 to March 1951. He then became Commander of Sixth Fleet from Mar 1951 to May 1952.
From May 1952 to March 1953, he served as a Member of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Main Committee.
Upon his retirement in August 1956, he was advanced in rank to four-star Admiral. *
The Act of Congress of 4 March 1925, allowed Navy officers to be promoted one grade upon retirement if they had been specially commended for performance of duty in actual combat. These promotions were colloquially known as "tombstone promotions" because they conferred the prestige of the higher rank but not the additional retirement pay, so their only practical benefit was to allow recipients to engrave a loftier title on their business cards and tombstones. An Act of Congress on 23 February 1942, enabled tombstone promotions to three- and four-star grades.
Death
Admiral Matthias B. Gardner died on 24 August 1975.
CHILDREN:
1.
Lt. Cmd. Bennett Gardner
1932–
BIRTH 11 DEC 1932 • San Diego, California, USA
Married 1st:15 Dec 1958 • Los Angeles, California, USA
Divorced: Mar 1968 • San Diego City, California, USA
Ulla R Gunther
1936–
BIRTH ABT 1936
Married 2nd: 1969
Divorced: Jan 1975 • San Diego, California, USA
Janet E. McFadyen
2.
Lt. Col. Joel Ruland Gardner
1940–2020
BIRTH 16 FEB 1940 • Washington, District of
Columbia, USA
DEATH 6 AUG 2020 • New Providence, Union,
New Jersey, USA
Married: Dec 1963 • Duval County, Florida, USA
Select a profile image for Dorothy Elizabeth Stephens.
Dorothy Elizabeth Stephens
1941–2018
BIRTH 1941 • Jacksonville, Duval, Florida, USA
DEATH 2018 • New Jersey, USA
Joel Ruland Gardner Lieutenant Colonel United States Marine Corps (Ret.)
Joel "Joe" Gardner, 80, passed away unexpectedly on August 6, 2020 in New Providence, New Jersey. He is survived by his three daughters, Emily Price (Michael), Ellen Gardner (Dan) and Eve Gardner, and five grandchildren (Hayden, Kelly, Connor, Kendall, and Matthias). Joe was predeceased by his loving wife of 55 years, Dorothy "Beth" Gardner.Joe was born in Washington, DC on February 16, 1940. He attended the United States Naval Academy (class of 1963) and was a proud Marine for 23 years. He met Beth during Second Class aviation summer in 1962 and they married in December 1963. The Marine Corps took Joe and his family to Quantico, Vietnam, Thailand, North Carolina, Florida, Korea, Michigan, Paris (France), and San Diego.
He served three tours in Vietnam and was awarded four Bronze Stars (V), two Purple Hearts, and two Meritorious Service Medals during his military service. While serving as the Assistant Naval Attaché at the American Embassy in Paris, Joe was awarded the French National Order of Merit. After his 23 years of military service, Joe worked at General Telephone and Electric (GTE) for 10 years.
Joe had a few hobbies: skiing, golf, and greyhound rescue and, in true form, he put his heart and soul into each of them. As a trip leader for the Pentagon Ski club, he planned and executed many memorable ski trips throughout the world. Joe volunteered as a driver at the TPC Potomac PGA Tournament, served as a local coordinator for the Marine Corps Reserves' annual Toys for Tots drive, and helped potential greyhound owners evaluate their ability to adopt a greyhound, primarily from the racing track in Wheeling, West Virginia. In all that he did, Joe embodied the Marine Corps motto, Semper Fidelis. Forthright, faithful, and fiercely dedicated to those he served and loved, Joe's strength and support will be dearly missed by his family, friends, and community.
A service will take place in Annapolis at the United States Naval Academy at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Marine Corps Reserves' Toys for Tots Foundation (www.toysfortots.org) or National Greyhound Foundation (www.4greyhounds.org)
4.
Mary Shippey
1879–
BIRTH ABT 1879 • Florida
DEATH Unknown
The only record we have of Mary Shippey is the 1880 census in Florida where she shows up as a child of 1 year old. No further mnetion of her - it is assumed she died very young.
5.
Henry Lee Shippey
1884–1969
BIRTH 26 FEB 1884 • Memphis, Shelby, Tennessee, USA
DEATH 30 DEC 1969 • Del Mar, San Diego, San Diego,
California, USA
Married 1st: 20 Aug 1908 • Jackson, Missouri, USA
Mary Blake Woodson
1886–1936
BIRTH MAY 1886 • Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, USA
DEATH 5 NOV 1936 • Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, USA
Daughter of Blake Lynch Woodson and Nora Selaney
CHILD:
1.
Henry Lee Shippey
AKA Blake Lynch Woodson
After the divorce of his father and mother, his mother had Henry's name legally changed to that of her father when he was 12 years old.
1909–1988
BIRTH 20 MAY 1909 • Kansas City, Missouri, USA
DEATH 26 AUG 1988 • Mission, Kansas, USA
Married: 6 Mar 1937 • Kansas City, Missouri, USA
Julia Eleanor Rice
1915–1996
BIRTH 1915 • Kansas City, Missouri, USA
DEATH 18 JUN 1996 • Carrollton, Collin, Texas, USA
Daughter of Walter Vernon Rice and Maud Irene MacDonald
Source:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Shippey
Henry Lee Shippey (February 26, 1884 – December 30,
1969), who wrote under the name Lee Shippey, was an
American author and journalist whose romance with a
French woman during World War I caused a sensation
in the United States as a "famous war triangle. Shippey
later wrote a popular column in the Los Angeles Times
for 22 years.
Early life
Shippey was born February 26, 1884, in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of William Francis Shippey and Elizabeth Kerr Freligh of Missouri. His siblings were Louisia, Virginia Lee Davis and Mrs. Charles Stewart. The elder Shippey had been in the Confederate Navy and was treasurer of the Kansas City & Northwestern Railway. After the death of his father on July 24, 1899, Lee left Central High School to begin his working life as a laborer in a meat packing-house, then started his career in journalism as a night-shift copyholder — somebody who reads written material aloud to a proofreader — on the Kansas City Times, going to high school during the day. He was twenty years old when he graduated, and two colleges offered "inducements" to attend as a football player, "but I could not afford to accept them." Instead, he took a part-time job as football coach at Westport High School.
As a young man, he was poisoned by the wood alcohol he had been using over a period of weeks to clean a meerschaum pipe, resulting in the loss of most of his sight. "As he lay helpless in bed, thinking life held nothing in the future for him, he was astounded to hear his sister reading some of his own humorous writings which he had surreptitiously left on the desk of the associate editor of the Kansas City Star." The editor offered him a job, at first paying the young man from his own salary, and he dictated his first humor columns for the Star from his bed.
Shippey was married to another writer, Mary Blake Woodson, on August 20, 1908, in Jackson County, Missouri. They lived together while he was editor-owner of the Higginsville Jeffersonian in Higginsville, Missouri, which he bought for three hundred dollars after the death of owner Jules Coe. Shippey then became known as the "poet-philosopher of Higginsville." Lee and Mary's only child, Henry Lee Shippey Jr., was born on May 20, 1910. After the outbreak of World War I, Shippey sold the newspaper and returned to the Star. In 1917 he was president of the Missouri Writers' Guild.
The famous 'war triangle Romance
During World War I, Shippey was working for the YMCA in Paris, France. At the same time, he was writing for various American newspapers as a correspondent. Shippey told two versions of how he became acquainted with Madeleine Babin, the French woman for whom he eventually left his wife.
The 1920 version
On November 1, 1918, the 34-year-old Shippey met the 20-year-old Madeleine, who, with her family, was placing flowers on the graves in the American cemetery in Suresnes, France. At this point, the Babins — a mother and two daughters — had lost the father of the family, Georges, who died after being discharged as a private in the French army. Shippey helped Madeleine and her younger sister by two years, Georgette, get jobs as interpreters for the YMCA, and "Every Sunday and holiday and many a long summer evening they visited historic or beautiful places in or near Paris." In a column that was later published in newspapers across the country "that the real and ungarbled truth may be known of the famous 'war triangle,' " Shippey wrote that:
For ten months our friendship grew. I came to love the whole family. May 1, 1919, when I was notified that my hotel was to be closed, I went to their home to board, and there was taken into the most beautiful family life I have ever seen. The courage with which they met misfortunes and their sweetness to each other made their home so pleasant that the months I spent there were the happiest of my life.
During this period, Shippey and Madeleine were "married in a church in Paris . . . by a ritual of their own."
The 1959 version
In 1959, Shippey published a memoir in which he did not mention his marriage to Mary nor the existence of their child. He wrote that he met Georges Babin while the latter was a hospital patient and that Madeleine and Babette had been trapped for two years in a convent school behind the German lines in Belgium. Finally, the girls came home to Paris, via England, and Shippey and a fellow American writer, Homer Croy, went with Mrs. Babin to the train station to meet them. The next day Croy arranged for the two young women to work as interpreters in the organization for which he was the Paris production manager, the Community Motion Picture Bureau.
After the war ended on November 11, 1918, Shippey found his income so reduced "that I could not afford to keep the hotel room Croy and I had shared unless I could get another roommate." By that time, Georges Babin had died, so Mrs. Babin and Shippey agreed that the latter would rent a room in the Babin apartment.
She [Madeleine] and Georgette called me Grand Frere [Big Brother], and thought of me only as an elder brother. Madeleine was fifteen years my junior and seemed younger, and I couldn't be such a fool as to imagine she could think of me in any other way. Besides, it would be tragic if she could, for I was pledged to a woman of my own age back home, a woman so gifted and admirable in many ways that I had set her on a pedestal, though also so temperamental and fond of dramatizing that we quarreled often.
The end of Shippey's feelings for "the girl back home" came when he received a furious letter from her "full of violent accusations . . . concluding with the underscored words: ". . . I'm THROUGH." He felt "strangely buoyant" and gay and, when just about to part from the Babins for the train station to begin his trip back home, Madeleine suddenly "took my face in both her hands and kissed me full on the lips. . . . Through my mind, like vivid lightning, flashed the recollection that once she had said she would never kiss any man on the lips until it meant a pledge of love."
Divorce and remarriage
In August 1919, Shippey returned to the United States, confessed his love for Madeleine and asked his wife, Mary, for a divorce. She refused. Shippey resumed writing his column, "Missouri Notes," for the Kansas City Star. In November, Madeleine arrived in Kansas City and "revealed to Shippey that she was about to become a mother. Her mother and sister arrived about Christmas." Mary Shippey again refused a divorce but offered to care for the child as her own. When Shippey turned her down, she informed the Star of the situation and Shippey was discharged. (In his memoir, he said he resigned. He then left for California, and Mary reported the case to American immigration authorities, who in February 1920 opened an inquiry into what the Chicago Daily Tribune called "a Franco-American romance and an American tragedy.
Testimony was taken in secret by the immigration commissioner and a transcript of the evidence, with the recommendations of the immigration inspector regarding deportation, has been sent to the department of labor in Washington for final action.
Lee and Madeleine's child, Henry George Shippey, was born in Kansas City on May 8, 1920. In June the warrants for the arrest and deportation of the Babin family were canceled by Louis F. Post, the assistant U.S. secretary of labor, who noted that the Babin family had come to the United States "at the invitation" of Shippey, who "if he were divorced he would marry the alien, who is about to be, if she has not already become, the mother of his child." The New York Times noted that Madeleine was "supporting herself by sewing and giving French lessons."
In early 1921 Lee and Madeleine were living in Tampico, Mexico, where Lee was editing a newspaper and free-lancing. On January 12 of that year Mary Shippey sued Lee for divorce in a Kansas City, Missouri, court, mentioning the name of Madeleine Babin in the complaint. Mary's petition charged that Lee "habitually consorted with immoral women and now is living in open and notorious adultery with women of well-known immoral character." Lee Shippey responded with a divorce suit in a Tamaulipas, Mexico, court, claiming that Mary's suit was not filed in good faith but rather to "cause grief and injury." He said she had threatened to leave him for another man while Lee was in France and that they had "never lived in the harmony which should characterize the marital relation."
On September 29, 1921, Mary Shippey was granted a divorce from Lee after being on the witness stand for four hours, and the next month Lee and Madeleine were married in Mexico City. They moved to Del Mar, California, where Shippey struggled as a free-lance writer and was on the contributing staff of the old Life humor magazine.
Los Angeles Times career
A story that Shippey had written in 1918 from Verdun, France, telling of the end of World War I attracted the attention of Harry Chandler, publisher of the Los Angeles Times, who commented, "A fellow who can write like that can join the Times family any time he wants to." Nine years later Shippey asked Chandler for a job, and he was hired to "Get out and find human interest stuff anywhere in the State; find out what the ordinary and extraordinary people of California are about; dig up stuff that the tourists, and even the natives have not discovered about themselves."
For the next two decades, Shippey wrote columns for the Times — "The Lee Side o' L.A." and "The Seymour Family," living for some of that time in Sierra Madre, California.
Shippey retired in 1949, moved back to Del Mar, where he started writing columns for three San Diego County newspapers — including the San Diego Union and the Del Mar Surfcomber. In 1956, Shippey, then 72, was honored by the Authors Guild of Los Angeles for his "half-century of service as a journalist, author and 'friend to man.' " President Paul Wellman cited Shippey's "astonishing array" of published works and lauded him as a man of "good humor, discernment and, above all, sympathy." He said Shippey had "immense kindliness of spirit," with a "warm grin for everybody and a sage philosophy of life."
Shippey died on December 30, 1969, in a nursing home in Encinitas, California, at the age of 86. He was survived by his five children by his second wife — Henry George, Charles Stuart III, John James, Francis Robert and Sylvia Georgette Thomas. Madeleine died October 20, 1978, in Weaverville, California, and was also buried in El Camino Memorial Park, San Diego.
Books
Illustration in It's an Old California Custom
-
Personal Glimpses of Famous Folks, 1929
-
Folks Ushud Know, 1930s, 1935
-
]New York Times review, January 6, 1935
-
California Progress; Great Projects Which Overcome Handicaps of the Past, 1936, with Herbert Edward Floercky
-
Girl Who Wanted Experience, 1937
-
The Great American Family, 1938 Houghton Mifflin
-
If We Only Had Money, 1939, Houghton Mifflin
-
It's an Old California Custom, 1948, Vanguard Press
-
Los Angeles Book, 1950, with photos by Max Yavno, Houghton Mifflin
-
Luckiest Man Alive; Being the Author's Own Story, With Certain Omissions, But Including Hitherto Unpublished Sidelights on Some Famous Persons and Incidents, 1959
.................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Source:
The Kansas City Star Sun Aug 28, 1988 page 42
BLAKE L. WOODSON
Blake Lynch Woodson, 79, of Mission, died Au. 26, 1988, at Trinity Lutheran Hospital. He was a lifelong resident. Mr. Woodson was a locomotive engineer for 34 years for the Union Pacific Railroad and retired in 1974. He was a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. Survivors include his wife, Julia "Judy" Woodson of the home, three sons, Walt B. Woodson, Stover, Mo., John W. Woodson, Kansas City, Kan., and Michael David Woodson, Houston; a daughter, Mry I. Eddy, Dllas, 11 grandchildren; and six great-grandchildren. Graveside services will be at 11 a.m.. Monday at Forest Hill Cemetery. Friends may call from 7 to 9 p.m. today at the Maple Hill Chapel. The family suggests contributions to the American Heart Association.
............................................................................................................................................
Source:
The Kansas City Star, Thu Jul 20, 1990 Page 30
JULIA E. WOODSON
Julia e> woodson, 81, Carrollton, Texas, died June 18, 1996, at the Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas, TX. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 21, at Forest Hill Cemetery,. Friends may call 7-9 p.m. Friday, at the Maple Hill Funeral Home. The family suggests contributions to the Shriners Crippled Children's Hospital,
Julia was born in Kansas City, Mo., and had lived in this area most of her life before moving to Carrollton eight years ago. Survuvors include two sons, Walter Blake Woodson, Fittstown, OK, and Michael David Woodson, Littleton, Co; a daughter, Mary I. Eddy, Carrollton, TX; nine grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
MARY BLAKE WOODSON
MADELINE BABIN
HENRY LEE SHIPPEY
Lee Married secondly:
Madaline Babin
1898–1978
BIRTH 11 JULY 1898 • France
DEATH 20 OCT 1978 • Weaverville,
Trinity, California, USA
Married: Aug 1921 • Mexico City, Mexico
...............................................................................................................................................
CHILDREN:
Source:
The Pasadena Post, Sat. Feb 6, 1943 page 3
SHIPPY BOYS PATRIOTIC
SIERRA MADRE, Feb. 5-- The fourth Shippy boy has enlisted in the armed services. Frank Shippy, 17 year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Shippey, was sworn into the United StatesEnlisted Reserve Monday, having passed his physical examination.
Henry, 22, enlisted in October, 1940, on his return fram France where hdrove an ambulance for the French. He now is in a tank force at Camp Meade, Md. Charles, 20, emlisted in the Navy last May, and now is a seaman, second class, at Los Alamitos Naval Air Base. John, 19, enlisted in the Army last March and now is in the 337th Fighter Squadron at Muroe Air Base.
The Los Angeles Times, Wed. Dec. 31, 1969
Page 28
1.
Henry George Shippey
1920–1978
BIRTH 8 MAY 1920 • Kansas City, Missouri, USA
DEATH 25 MAY 1978 • Sterling Heights, Macomb, Michigan, USA
Married:
Ellen Corinne Davey
1915–1999
BIRTH ABT 1915 • Negaunee, Marquette, Michigan, USA
DEATH 3 SEP 1999 • Southfield, Oakland, Michigan, USA
Daughter of William Ronald Davey and Annie Jane Goldsworthy
Source:
The Times Herald (Port Huron, Mich.) Sat Apr 30, 1938 page 2
Hitch-Hiking Son of Writer Unreported
Los Angeles, April 30-AP- Henry shippey, 17, son of Lee Shippey, novelist and newspaper columnist, is missing and his parents fear he has encountered some misfortune.
The youth, who is the "Hank Seymour" in "The Great American Family," one of Shippey's novels, left home some weeks ago to seek an Arizona ranch job but wrote his parents he was hitch-hiking to New York instead. From Indianapolis, he sent back his suitcase three weeks ago and wrote that he was coming home.
That is th last his parents have heard.
...........................................................................................................................................
Source:
Detroit Free press Mon Sep 6, 1999 page 9
SHIPPY
CORRINE, age 84 of Southfield, died Friday, September 3, 1999. Wife of the late Henry G, mother of Alan L.,(Lynn). Sister of June (Dominic) Kastre, Grandmother of Dylan. Visitation Tuesday 1-8 p.m. at the Kinsey-Garrett Funeral Home, 420 Lafayette, Royal Oak. Services Wednesday, 11 a.m. at the Beverly Hills United Methodist Church. Burial Whote Chapel. Memorials suggested to disabled American Veterans.
CHILD:
1.
Alan Lee Shippey
1959–2007
BIRTH 8 NOV1959 • Michigan, USA
DEATH 30 APR 2007 • Macomb County,
Michigan, USA
Married:
Lynn
Source:
The Times Herald (Port Huron, Mich.)
Thu May 3, 2007 page 12
Alan L Shippey
Sterling Heights-- Alan L. Shippey, age 47, of Sterling Heights, formerly of Royal Oak, passed away on Monday, April 30, 2007.
Beloved husband of Lynn, dear father of Dylan, Jay and Adam; dear son of the late Henry and Corrine Shippey and Mary Evans; and dear son-in-law of Pat and Bill Varga. Friends may call at Wm. Sullivan and Son funeral Home , 8459 Hall Road, Utica, 3 to 8 p.m. today, with a rosay being said at 7 p.m. this evening.
Mr. Shippey will lie in state on Friday at St. Lawrence Catholic Church, Utic from 11 a.m. until the time of Mass at 11:0 a.m.. Because of Alan's love of nature and conservation, the family suggests memorials in his memory be directed to The Conservation Fund, 1655 N. Fort Myer St.., Suite 1300, Arlington VA. 22209.
2.
Charles Stuart Shippey
1922–2015
BIRTH 1 AUG 1922 • San Diego, San Diego,
California, USA
DEATH 22 MAY 2015 • San Diego, San Diego,
California, USA
Married: 1951
Mary Margaret "Elaine" Spacek
1929–2011
BIRTH ABT 1929 • Portland, Multnomah,
Oregon, USA
DEATH 20 APR 2011 • Rancho Bernardo,
San Diego, California, USA
Daughter of Charles Spacek and Pauline
M. Novak
Source:
Published by San Diego Union-Tribune on Jul. 12, 2015.
Charles "Chuck" Stuart Shippey
SAN DIEGO -- Charles "Chuck" Stuart Shippey passed away peacefully on Friday, May 22, 2015, in San Diego at the age of 93. Chuck was born in San Diego; son of Lee Shippey a noted author and columnist for the LA Times and Madeleine Babin of Paris, France. He grew up in Sierra Madre and Del Mar with his brothers Henry, John and Frank and sister Sylvia. Chuck served in the Navy in WWII and graduated from USC in 1942 Chuck found his career in insurance with successful partnerships with the Wilson Insurance Agency and Creaser Price Insurance Agency in Chula Vista. He served as President of the Independent Agents Association of San Diego, and as President of the Chula Vista Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club. He also helped start and was President of the Boys and Girls Club of Chula Vista. Chuck enjoyed a left-handed game of golf, and achieved a rare "hole in one" on two separate occasions. In his teens, Chuck and brother John became well known, for their car racing success at the Salt Flats. Chuck will always be remembered for his positive outlook, sense of fairness and string exotic cars! Chuck was married to Elaine Shippey for 60 years. Elaine passed away in 2011 in Rancho Bernardo. Chuck is survived by his sister Sylvia Thomas, and his children Chuck Shippey and Susie Shippey. A Memorial and Celebration of Life will be held Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at Karl Strauss in Sorrento Valley. The family requests donations to the Chula Vista Boys & Girls Club.
...........................................................................................................................................
Source:
Published by San Diego Union-Tribune on May 8, 2011.
SHIPPEY, MARY M.
"Elaine" Shippey passed away April 20, 2011 at age 82 from complications following a stroke earlier in the year. She was surrounded by family in her Rancho Bernardo home. Born Mary Margaret Spacek in Portland, Oregon she attended "The Madeleine" High School, Lincoln High School and University of Oregon. After graduation, Elaine followed her interest in fashion and design; working at "Gills" department store splitting her time between "in store" modeling and stationary department administration. Weekends, Elaine was a popular Hostess at the swank Zombie Zulu nightclub. In 1951 she married Charles S. Shippey and moved with him to Southern California, settling in San Diego where they raised a family. Elaine is remembered for her very kind spirit, her sense of fun, witty sense of humor, and gracious manner. The memory of Elaine singing childhood songs with a big smile will always be cherished. Elaine is survived by her husband Charles, son Charles Jr., daughter Susan, and sister Pauline Severin. A private memorial will be held at the Shippey home in Rancho Bernardo.
3.
Lt. Col. John James Shippey
1924–2013
BIRTH 7 JAN 1924 • San Diego, California, USA
DEATH 28 MAR 2013 • Henagar, DeKalb, Alabama, USA
Married: 01 Apr 1949 • Jefferson County, Alabama, USA
Opal Mae Kerby
1925–2009
BIRTH 17 MAY 1925 • Henagar, DeKalb, Alabama, USA
DEATH 19 OCT 2009 • Henagar, DeKalb, Alabama, USA
Daughter of James Melvin Kerby and Nancy Ann
Elizabet Hulsey
Source:
The Los Angeles Times, Thu. Apr. 1, 1954 page 73
Capt. Shippey Will wed in Tokyo Rite
Capt. John J. Shippey, son of Lee Shippey, Times colunist, and Mrs. Shippey of Sierra Madre, and Lt. Patricia Kerby will be married in Tokyo on Easter Sunday, according to anniuncements received from Japan.
A civil ceremony will be performed in the American Embassy, followed by a religious cere-mony performed by Bishop Viall, Epicopal Bishop of Tokyo, in the chapel at Johnson Air Base.
Miss Kerby majored in personnel administration at the University ofGeorgia and is personnel officer at the base. Capt. Shippy and his bride expect to return to the United States in August.
..............................................................................................................
Retired Lt. Col. John Shippey, 89, of Henagar, died Thursday, March 28, 2013, at his home.
He served in the U.S. Air Force from 1947-71. He was active in the Fort Payne EAA Chapter 890, Young Eagles and Fantastic Flight.
The family will receive friends at St. Philip’s Episcopal Church in Fort Payne on Tuesday, April 2, from 9 a.m. until the service time at 11 a.m. Graveside services with military honors will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Pea Ridge cemetery.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Pat (Opal K.) Shippey, and son, James L. Shippey.
He is survived by daughters Patricia “Tish” A. Gelineau, Melanie E. Shippey and Jeannine G. Shippey; and brother, Charles Shippey, and sister, Sylvia Thomas, both of California. Grandchildren are Jennifer Clark, Jared Gelineau, Jessica G. Otieno, Elizabeth L. Jones and Meghan A. Shippey Harding. Great-grandchildren are Spencer Clark, Allison Clark, Amani Otieno and jack Gelineau.
...................................................................................................................................................
Opal K. "Pat" Shippey
Mrs. Opal K. "Pat" Shippey, age 84 of Henagar, passed away at her home Monday, October 19, 2009.
Her services will be Friday, October 23 at 10 a.m. at St. Phillips Episcopal Church in Fort Payne with burial following in Pea Ridge Cemetery at Henagar. Visitation will be Thursday from 3 until 7 p.m. at Kervy Funeral Home. The Rev. Judith W. Comer and the Rev. Charles Jones will be officiating.
She is survived by her husband, John J. Shippey, of Henagar; daughters, Patricia "Tish" A. Gelineau, of Pt. Salerno, Fla., Melanie E. Shippey, of Hazel Green, Jeannine G. Shippey, of Henagar; brother, Jack O. Kerby, of Demopolis; sister, Sybil K. Lea, of Rossville, Ga.; grandchildren, Jenifer G. Clark, Jared L. Gelineau, Jessica E. Otieno, Elisabeth Jones, Megahan Shippey; and great-grandchildren, Spencer Clark, Allison Clark and Amani Otieno.
She was preceded in death by her son, James Lee Shippey.
Pat was a veteran of WW II, an avid gardener and active in her community. She was a member of St. Phillips Episcopal Church.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to St. Phillips Episcopal Church Rectors Discretionary Fund (2813 Godfrey Avenue NE, Fort Payne, AL., 35967) or The Flowering Dogwood Garden Club, C/O Peggy Benefield (757 Brookefield Circle, Valley Head, AL, 35989).
CHILDREN:
4.
Francis Robert Shippey
1925–2011
BIRTH 7 JAN 1925 • San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
DEATH 16 JUN 2011 • Ventura, Ventura, California, USA
Married: 5 Aug 1948 • Sierra Madre, California, USA
Osefa O Martinez
1924–
BIRTH 15 SEP 1924 • New York, USA
Daughter of Juan Carlos Martinez
...................................................................................................................................................
Source:
Pasadena Star-News, Wed. Jun. 27, Wed. page 10
FRANK SHIPPEY IN FRENCH HOSPITAL
SIERRA MADRE, June 27-- Frank Shippey, youngest soof Mr. and Mrs. Lee Shippey is being hospitalized in France and wil not be able to leave for home for two more weeks according to word received by his parents.
Mr. and Mrs. Shippey had hoped that Frank would be among members of the Blackhawk Division who returned to the United States recently.
..................................................................................................................................................
Source:
The Los Angeles Times, Fri. Aug 6, 1948 page 28
FRANK SHIPPEY, OSEFA MARTINEZ VOWS SPOKEN
Osefa Martinez, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Martinez of Beverly Hills, became the bride of Frank Shippey, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Shippey oSierra Madre, at a ceremony yesterday afternoon in the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Sierra Madre. The Rev. Harley Smith officiated at the wedding which was attended by relatives only.
The bride wore an aqua taffeta afternoon dress and carried white carnations and roses. A reception was held in the home of the bridegroom's parents.
Mrs. Shippey attended UCLA, where she was an Alpha Omicron Pi. Mr. Shippey served overseas as a sergeant in the Army during the war. The couple will live in Del Mar.
5.
Sylvia Georgette Shippey
1927–
BIRTH 6 SEP 1927 • San Diego, San Diego,
California, USA
Married: 6 Feb 1946 • Sierra Madre, Los
Angeles, California, USA
Robert Earl Thomas
1926–1957
BIRTH 22 APR1926 • Los Angeles, California,
USA
DEATH 26 OCT 1957 • San Bernardino,
San Bernardino, California, USA
Son of Eber Andrew Thomas and Beulah A. Fitzer
1.
James Lee Shippey
BIRTH Unknown
DEATH NOV 1957 • Homestead, Miami-Dade, Florida, USA
Apparently, James died as an infant - No further information
2.
Patricia "Tish" A. Shippey
BIRTH 30 DEC 1955 • Homestead, Miami-Dade, Florida, USA
Married: 2 Jun 1978 • Wichita, Texas, USA
Jon Michael Gelineau
1956–
BIRTH NOV 1956 • Alaska, USA
3.
Melanie Elizabeth Shippey
1957–2020
BIRTH 24 AUG 1957 • Homestead, Miami-Dade, Florida, USA
DEATH 27 JAN 2020 • Atlanta, Fulton, Georgia, USA
Melanie Elizabeth Shippey, age 62, of Atlanta, GA passed away suddenly on Monday, January 27, 2020. Born in Homestead, Florida to Lieutenant Colonel John J. and Opal “Pat” Shippey, Melanie spent her childhood in numerous Air Force bases throughout the US and Japan before serving in the USAF herself as an Aeromedical Specialist and a Morse Systems Operator. She received her bachelor’s degree in social work from Jacksonville State University and her MSW from Alabama A&M university and continued her life’s purpose serving the public as a social worker for Department of Children and Families in Alabama and Georgia.
Melanie was a dedicated mother first and foremost to her only child, Elizabeth Leigh (Britt) Gaston. Predeceased by her parents and twin brother, James Shippey, she is survived by sisters Tish Gelineau and Jeannine Shippey, nephew Jared Gelineau, nieces Jennifer Clark, Jessica Otieno, Meghan Shippey and their families.
She believed in letting your dreams be bigger than your fears, standing up for yourself and fighting for those who could not fight for themselves. She was most lovingly adored for her unconditional love that surrounded you like a bear hug and giving of herself to others even when she herself was running on empty. She will be remembered for her quick wit and follow-the-rules (most of the time) sensibility.
Melanie’s passions were helping others, gardening, cooking, reading and, most of all, her beautiful daughter’s happiness. If you couldn’t reach Melanie from time to time, it was probably because she was wandering aimlessly through a Target in her off time or savoring her “Starbucks Venti Mocha Frappuccino with no whip and domed lid”. She brought joy to her friends and family with her devotion and caring for all.
Please join us in a Celebration of Life on Wednesday, February 5, 2020, 3 PM CST at St. Phillips Episcopal Church, 2813 Godfrey Ave NE, Fort Payne, AL 35967. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to an organization Melanie worked for and supported with heart, the National Children's Advocacy Center.
4.
Jeannine G. Shippey
BIRTH 22 JAN 1959 • Homestead, Miami-Dade, Florida, USA
The Los Angeles Times, Fri. Sep. 20, 1969 Page 33
The Los Angeles Times,
Tue. May 8, 1945 Page 35
Pasadena Post,
Tue. Dec. 12, 1946 Page 9
the Pasadena Post
Wed. Jul. 31, 1940 Page 5
Pasadena Independent Fri. Sep. 10, 1954 page 10
Pasadena Independent Sun. Jun. 6, 1954 page 79 (Osefa - 2nd from left)
Source:
Pasadena Star-News, Mon. Feb. 4, 1946 page 7 By Ruth Billheimer, Society Editor
SHIPPEYS' DAUGHTER WEDS AIR FORCE LIEUTENANT AT RITES
Hundred-year-old French handmade lace and an antique pearl necklace, heirlooms in her mother's family, enhanced the wedding costume of Miss Sylvia Geogette Shippey, daughter of the Lee Shippey's of Sierra Madre when she became the bride of Army Air Force Lt. Robert Earl Thomas of that city yesterday afternoon.
Vows were spoken at 3:30 o'clock in the Church of the Ascension, Sierra Madre before 200 guests with Father Smith officiating. The bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Eber Thomas, also of Sierra Madre.
Miss Shippey, whose mother came from France as a bride after the first World War, chose a simple gown of white satin to emphasize the beauty of the heirloom pieces, and she carried white orchids upon a white prayer book. For sentiment, also, she carried a rose point kerchief loaned for the occasion by Mrs. Francis Eakman of Sierra Madre.
Bows on Pews
White bows tied to the pew ends led to the flower bedecked altar where the white goened attendants awaited the bride. They included Mrs. Doris Briant, matron of honor, wearing white jrsey and flowers in her hair to match her pastel bouquet of sweet peas and roses.
Bridesmaids were the Misses Lela Pickett, Mickie Mc-Murtrie and Mary Butler who wore taffeta and carried similar bouquets. They too wore chaplets of flowers on their hair. Marjorie Ruth Thomas, flower girl, wore organdy pique and carried white sweet peas.
Best man was Marvin E. Thomas, brother of the bride-groom, and ushers were Henry C. Shippey, Charles S.
Shippey, brothers of the bride, and Richard Joe Del Thompson.
E Route To Canada
At the Shippey's Toyon Road home, a reception was held afterwatds. Mrs. Shippey receiving in a grey jersey gown accented with old rose. Mrs. Thomas wore aqua crepe with black accents.
Lieutenent and Mrs. THomas have departed on their wedding trip to Canada and will be at home after March 1 at 321 West Carter Avenue, Sierra Madre. For traveling, the bride wore a grey pinstripe suit with brown accessories and the orchids she carried at the ceremony.
Both the bride and bridegroom are graduates of Psadena Junior College, where she belonged to Filogian.