- Date Of Death: July 4, 2022
- State: Maryland
Fred “Alton” Shipley, age 91, passed away Monday, July 4, 2022 at his home in Damascus, Maryland. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 67 years, Doris Lorraine Remsberg Shipley.
He was born on March 2, 1931 at the home of his Uncle Marshall and Aunt Zerah Beall in Lewisdale, Maryland. He grew up in another house close by in Lewisdale with his parents, the late Maurice and Nora Shipley, and 6 siblings.
He attended Damascus Elementary and High Schools. He loved working outdoors and tending gardens, which he learned on his grandfather’s farm which is now part of Little Bennett Creek Park. He worked on another local farm before starting a career as an Equipment Operator for the Montgomery County Department of Transportation. He helped build many of the local roads and bridges that are still in use today. During snowstorms he operated the huge snowplow known as “The Monster”; he and a coworker would drive it throughout Montgomery County keeping vital roads open.
He served in the Army in the 1950’s as a Private First Class in France. Always honest and trustworthy, he held money for other soldiers so they did not spend all they had while on a leave pass. He received a good conduct medal and an honorable discharge, and returned home to his wife Doris.
He and his father built the house near Lewisdale that Alton and Doris called home for 63 years. He had quite a reputation for supplying his family, friends, and neighbors with bountiful fruits and vegetables from his garden. No one else’s cantaloupe tasted as good as his. During his retirement, he enjoyed camping, traveling, making homemade ice cream, and continuing to repair and build things for himself and his family.
He was an active member of Bethesda United Methodist Church in Browningsville, Maryland.
He served as an usher and as a member of various boards of the church, the Damascus Camp Meeting, and the local community hall.
Surviving are two daughters, Diane Harman of Martinsburg, West Virginia, and Joan Carlson and husband David of Clarksburg, Maryland; grandchildren Amanda Harman, Zachary Harman, Matthew Harman (Zachary Saunders), and Anthony Carlson; 3 brothers Carroll Shipley, Roby Shipley, Linwood Shipley; 2 sisters Norita Shipley and Mary Ellen Winters. He was preceded in death by his brother Donald Lee (Chick) Shipley.
