John Stephen Shippee

Family-Placed Death Notice

SHIPPEE, John Stephen JOHN STEPHEN SHIPPEE Jan. 30, 1944 - Dec. 27, 2011 John Shippee was born on January 30, 1944, in Washington, D.C. He was proud to have shared his birthday with Franklin D. Roosevelt. John was predeceased by his father, B. Warner Shippee, of St. Paul, MN; his mother, Eva Maria Spitz, of Palo Alto, CA; and his brother, David Shippee, of Boise, ID. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay area and attended the Peninsula School in Menlo Park. He later attended Claremont-McKenna College and Stanford University, studying political science, business, international relations, and peace and conflict resolution. During this time, he worked in Oslo, Norway, with the Peace Research Institute. John taught at the School for International Studies in Brattleboro, VT, before coming to Atlanta. He attended Emory University to study with Dr. James Fowler in the Theology and Personality Program, at Candler School of Theology, where he met his wife, Margaret Blevins, a fellow graduate student in a class they were taking together. John was interested in faith development, a study of religion and psychology. After a life in the academic world, John turned to non-profit development, serving on the staff of Communities and Schools of Georgia, Morehouse School of Medicine, and Habitat for Humanity. In his later years, John was a consultant and fund-raising specialist with various non-profit organizations in the Atlanta area, including the Center for Faith and Health, School of Public Health, Emory University. Throughout these years, he traveled extensively throughout the world. Over five years ago, John was diagnosed with a stage four glioblastoma, a malignant brain tumor. Despite a grim prognosis for survival and daunting medical challenges, John persevered with renewed energy, becoming a patient advocate, a generous donor to various charitable causes, and continuing as a vigorous traveler. John was well loved and supported by his church community at Oakhurst Baptist Church in Decatur. He traveled several times on missions to Cuba with fellow parishioners, even after his diagnosis and treatment. During periods of remission, John's patient advocacy served Grady Hospital and the field of palliative care. In addition, in 2007, he spoke at a conference at Emory on "Changing the Way We Die." Later he supported and participated annually in the Global Humanitarian Summit at Emory and made remarkable contributions to this international gathering of medical volunteers. John's unfailing enthusiasm and courage will be an inspiration to many for years to come. John is survived by his wife, Margaret Blevins, of Atlanta; stepson, Stephen Thomas, his wife, Karen, and their sons, Jesse and Quinn, of Charlottesville, VA; stepmother, Elizabeth Shippee, of Saint Paul, MN; sister, Lisa Duhl, and her daughter, Aurora Ortiz, her husband, Paulo Guidicci, and their sons, Franscesco and Gioccomo, of Berkeley, CA; sister, Susan Shippee of Minneapolis, MN; brother, Douglas Shippee, his wife, Lynn Francis, and their sons, Logan and Sam and daughter, Rebecca, of Kingston, NY; and stepfather, Richard H.A. Blum, of Woodside, CA. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m., January 7, 2012, at Oakhurst Baptist Church, with The Rev. Melanie Vaughn-West officiating. Ashes will be interred in the Memory Garden at Oakhurst Baptist and also scattered at various sites important to John in Minnesota, Washington State, California, Cuba, and Scotland. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Oakhurst Baptist Church, 222 East Lake Drive, Decatur, GA 30030.