Marvin Morris Shipley

Marvin Morris Shipley was born in Delta on May 20, 1947, to Benjamin Morris and Helen Irene Dixon Shipley. He attended First through Twelfth grade in Delta graduating from Delta High in 1965. He attended Mesa Junior college for two years, transferring to Colorado State University for a single year before entering the military in 1969.

Marvin loved the outdoors fishing, hunting, playing football, baseball and after graduating playing fast pitch softball for Delta Finance and Orchard City '66'. Of all the sports his true love was for the game of baseball which he started participating in organized programs at the age of 8. During the summer you could find him every day at the ball fields either playing with his team or hoping to get picked up to play with another team if they were short of players. In High School he was a four-year letterman in baseball and helped the Panthers to back-to-back state championships in 1963 and 1964 after finishing as runner up in 1962. During his baseball career he played every position except second base and center field.

He was a former member of the Delta Trap Club and shot in league and registered events for several years. He enjoyed reading especially novels by Tom Clancy. History, local, national and international, was a favorite subject. He enjoyed music. His mother enrolled him in piano lessons as a young boy, and he admitted he balked at that. Cut into his baseball playing! In high school he played saxophone in the concert band. He enjoyed most all music but could listen to classical pieces for hours! He remarked that he once read that all current music is derived from the classics. For example, his generation grew up listening to the theme song from the Lone Ranger (William Tell Overture) and the humorous tune about Camp Granada taken from the 1876 ballet Dance of the Hours and we all entered our graduation to Pomp and Circumstance which was written for the coronation of King Edward VII in 1901. When he drove long distances by himself his radio was usually tuned to NPR Classical.

On August 26, 1967, he married Cathy Rule of Delta. To this union two sons were born, Derek and Geoffrey. This marriage ended in divorce in 1989. He later married Cindy Gray and gained two stepsons, Quintin and Adam and lived the remainder of his life in the Pea Green area.

In 1969 he entered the Army, receiving his basic training at Ft. Campbell, KY, further schooling in the Signal Corp at Ft. Gordon, GA, before being stationed with the 26th Signal Battalion in Heilbronn Germany where he served on a permanent communication site as an operator, team leader and site NCO rising to the rank of Sgt. E-5. After his tour in Europe, he was stationed at Ft. Lewis WA with the 9th Signal Battalion of the 9th Infantry Division. At the conclusion of this enlistment, he packed up the family and moved back home to Delta.

He worked as a meat cutter, bread delivery driver, laborer in the construction industry, chemical loader with Olathe Spray Service and transportation manager for private companies contracting school bus service to school districts. He served in this capacity for 24 years in Montrose and a final 3 years in Grand Junction before retiring to Pea Green. During his years in the school bus industry, he became active with the state association serving on committees that helped rewrite state standards for operations and construction of school buses and he served as the President of the Colorado State Pupil Transportation Association and as the Chairman of the State Safe Driving Competition and Course Director. He also served on the International Safe Driving Competition Committee. He was selected twice to serve as a representative on the Colorado state delegation attending the National School Bus Minimum Standards conference in Warrensburg Missouri. In July 2008 he was a recipient of the Gold Merit Award from the National School Transportation Association for his contributions to the school bus transportation industry at their conference in Calgary Canada. During his time as a transportation manager, he made two of the most important hiring decisions of his career. First, he hired Cindy Gray who eventually became his wife and second, he hired Tina Fitzgerald who adopted him as a second father figure and later became his daughter in law when she married his stepson, Adam.

In 2018 he was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis which eventually required him to be on supplemental oxygen 24/7. However, this minor problem did not slow him down a great deal since he obtained a battery powered concentrator that enabled him to continue to go and do. He and Cindy took drives into the Colorado mountains, and he even made it to the top of a couple of 14teeners, albeit, by motorized vehicles. They decided they would continue to do what they could for as long as they could and enjoy life. This even included a couple of trips fishing in Alaska where he could actually breathe easier since he was at sea level. The one concession he did have to make was to stop chasing the wily elk up and down the mountains of Western Colorado with his brother by another mother, Ken Pulliam. He still went with Cindy in her pursuit each fall and enjoyed in her experiences in the outdoors.

He liked to play cards, especially pinochle, seven's, hearts and golf. He loved the actual game of golf and fostered wonderful friendships with several players from the Denver area but set his clubs aside when the ball quit traveling very far. He and Cindy also spent many hours on horseback helping their friends and neighbors with their cattle operation on the Uncompahgre Plateau. He dabbled in wine making and writing a little bit of poetry, some of which he shared with friends and family on special life changing events. He was a member and former officer of the Delta Elks Lodge #1235 and served as the Exalted Ruler during the year 2022-2023.

As he grew older, he also found that he did not have to try and hide his emotional side as much. He cried when 'Ole Yeller" died, when Forrest lost Jenny, when those close to him suffered or at the loss of a family pet. Shedding a tear now and then did not hurt one bit.

Marvin is survived by his wife of 36 years Cindy. Sons Derek and his wife Jessika of Denver, Geoffrey and wife Colleen of Aurora. Stepson Adam and wife Tina of Pea Green. A sister and her husband of Gilbert, Arizona. Seven grandchildren plus several cousins and nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents and one stepson, Quintin of Delta.

Cremation has taken place and he will reside in eternity on the slopes of the Grand Mesa. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Youth Scholarship fund at Delta Elks Lodge #1235, 563 Main, Delta, Colorado, 81416.