George Shipley

It is with great sadness that our family announces the peaceful passing of our beloved father and grandfather, George Shipley (97.6 years old), on July 6, 2022, at the Yorkton District Nursing Home.
 
George was the youngest son of Herbert and Caroline (nee Piper) Shipley. He attended Norwood School where he completed Grade 9. At the young age of 16, he began working as a farm hand for Henry Coopersmith. He would also work for Edgar Mooney and Jim Hill.
 
One fine evening at a dance, he met his future wife, Clarice Rolles. They were married on August 3, 1949. Together they had 3 children- Roger, Ardith and Janice.
 
In 1957, George applied for to work at the RM of Star City. This would be the beginning of his 32 year career as a motor grader and snow plow operator for the RM. For several winters, he would also take care of the skating and curling rink in Star City.
 
During the summer, George was an avid gardener and would spend summer evenings taking care of the large garden and many flowers around the yard. There would always be many rows of vegetables which Clarice and George would enjoy fresh. In the fall they would can the vegetables to enjoy through the winter. There would also always be Hollyhocks, Tiger Lilies and Pansies in their yard. In the winter, George and Clarice would attend the Melfort Mustang hockey games as season ticket holders. It was something they both enjoyed doing and would even attend some away games, either driving themselves or taking the fan bus to games. Along with hockey, George also enjoyed watching sports on TV, his favorite teams being the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Toronto Blue Jays.
 
George and Clarice enjoyed many adventures together by taking holidays to British Columbia and Alberta. They also ventured a bit further and went to England, Norway and Arizona.
 

George joined the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks (BPOE) in March of 1959 and is a lifetime member. For many years he was the secretary/treasurer for the Elks Lodge and Exalted Ruler for 2 terms. He attended many conventions, helped with many pancake breakfasts and also called Bingo numbers at the Elks Lodge.
 
George was predeceased by his parents - Herbert and Caroline Shipley, his wife- Clarice, his son- Roger, his brothers -John, Arthur, Ronald, Alfred, Fredrick and his sister Mary. He leaves to cherish his memory his daughters- Ardith (Martin) Wlock and Janice (Reid) MacKenzie. He also leaves his grandchildren- Kevin Wlock and Cheryl Wlock, Tyler MacKenzie, Riley MacKenzie and Cory MacKenzie, as well as great-grandchildren- Kylan and Klara and Max, Sister in Law- Jean Merle Cambell, Brother in Law – Allen (Brenda) Rolles and several nieces and nephews.

A celebration of George's life will be held on Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 2:00 pm from the Elk's Hall in Star City, SK. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of George Shipley, please visit our floral store.