Chester “Chet” LeRoy Shippy passed away peacefully on February 16th, 2015. Chet was born September 5th, 1930 in Caney, KS to Cecil George Shippy and Daisy Ann (Hays) Shippy. He attended Caney schools and graduated from Caney High School in 1948. He lettered in football, track and basketball, was involved in scouting and served as the vice-president of his senior class. He followed the wheat harvest, working his way across the Kansas plains in the summers.
After graduating high school, Chet went on to study engineering, at what was then, Coffeyville College of Arts, Sciences and Vocations in Coffeyville, KS while working for Phillips Petroleum in Bartlesville, OK. He left college to proudly serve in the U.S. Navy in 1951 and was stationed at the U.S. Naval Air Station in San Diego, CA before being sent to Corpus Christi, TX to the All Weather Flight School where he maintained Beechcraft training planes. There, he met and married Frances Lingan on August 16th, 1952 before shipping out to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa near the end of the Korean War.
The couple bought their first home and lived in Corpus Christi while he completed his Associate’s Degree in Drafting at Del Mar College. Their daughter, Catherine Lee was born there in 1955. Chet moved his new family to Richardson, TX in 1957 where his son, Jay Lingan was born in 1958.
In Richardson, he took advantage of the burgeoning research and technology industry there to begin his career. After working for Collins Radio, Chet began employment in 1964 as a Mechanical Designer and supervised the drafting dept. for the Southwest Center for Advanced Studies. The Center became UT Dallas in 1969. In 1972, Chet became Research Engineer/Scientist until and after his “retirement” in 1989. He returned that same year to continue work on various projects for the UTD Center for Space Sciences until 2006.
During his 42-year career at UT Dallas, Chet worked on space sciences endeavors for NASA and the Department of Defense. Projects included Atmospheric Explorer (NASA); Dynamics Explorer (NASA); Republic of China Satellite (ROCSAT-1); Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (US Air Force); various science sounding rocket programs (NASA). He traveled to Houston to NASA and to Ft. Churchill in the Arctic Circle for rocket launches.
But, above all, he loved and valued his family. Chet was very involved father in Cathy and Jay’s lives. He hauled their horses to shows and playdays, was the Chief of Jay’s Indian Guide tribe,built a play house, took the family on wonderful vacations across the U.S and the beaches of South Padre Island. He took his children and grandchildren to the annual “Crazy Hays” family reunions held every Memorial Day in Independence, KS for over 50 years. Chet especially enjoyed the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico. He exemplified the importance of doing one’s best, being honest, helping others, patience and having a sense of humor.
Chet also enjoyed raising Quarter Horses and showing them with his children for over 40 years. He began Allen Feed Store in Allen, TX in the late 70’s to help feed the “herd.” Always a “country boy at heart,” he loved working Saturdays at the store with his children and helping the Allen 4-H Club. He and his wife, Fran, moved to Fairview TX in 1984 to provide a place for his remaining horses to retire and enjoy his grandchildren, Katie, Allie, Tracie and Connor. They have many fond memories of helping “Pawpaw” with the horses, riding the golf cart he bought them, playing dominoes and swimming in the pool. Christmas Eve was always a special time and Chet made sure the grandkids were awed by his Christmas light display and there were glimpses of “Santa” as he dropped bags of toys on the lawn from his sleigh. Chet enjoyed setting up elaborate Christmas villages, complete with a train under the tree.
In his later years, he and Fran traveled extensively to Europe, Mexico and the U.S., especially enjoying the National Parks with their friends. They took cruises through the Panama Canal and to Alaska. Chet was also active in coin collecting clubs, his “spit and whittle” club that met for coffee at the McDonalds and the Senior Center in Allen. He was a longstanding member of the American Quarter Horse Association. The couple moved to Denton in 2012 to be near their daughter where they lived until his death.
Chet is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Frances Lingan Shippy of Denton; daughter, Catherine Tedrick Kerley and husband, Dirk also of Denton; son, Jay Shippy and wife, Claire of Rowlett, TX; grandchildren, Katie Tedrick Sherrard and husband Preston of Argyle, TX; Allie Shippy of Dallas, TX; Tracie Shippy of Rowlett, TX; and Connor Tedrick, of Denton, TX; and a sister, Pegge Ward of Kansas City, KS.
Chet was preceded in death by his parents, Cecil and Daisy Shippy, brother, Raymond “Butch” Shippy and sister, Dorothy Swayne.
A funeral service will be held at 12:00 noon, Saturday, February 21, 2015 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home in Allen, TX. The family will receive family and friends during visitation on Friday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Wounded Warriors Project at www.woundedwarriorproject.org, or by calling (877) 958-2233. Checks may be mailed to: Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675.