Robert Byron Shipp

Robert Byron Shipp, 89, of Rainsville, died Sunday, Dec. 16, 2012, at Gadsden Regional Medical Center.
Funeral services will be Wednesday, Dec. 19, at 11 a.m. at Rainsville Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at Mountain View Memory Gardens Mausoleum. Visitation will be today from 5 to 8 p.m.
He was born and raised in Crossville, the youngest of 12 children, and was a graduate of Crossville High School, Jacksonville State University and Middle Tennessee State University.
He fought in World War II, serving in the Philippines. He was an educator in DeKalb County for 31 years. He was the football coach at Ider, DeKalb County (Fort Payne) and Fyffe high schools and developed the football program at Plainview High School.
He finished his career in education as the elementary principal at Fyffe. During his time as an educator, he served as the health administrator for DeKalb, Jackson and Cherokee counties in the Head Start preschool program and also officiated high school football games for a number of years.
After his retirement, he was elected as a "Silver-Haired Legislator" and was inducted into the Alabama Senior Citizen Hall of Fame. He was instrumental in obtaining grants for the construction of the Rainsville Public Library and he served as its board chairman for 26 years. In addition, he was voted "Person of the Year" by the Rainsville Chamber of Commerce in 2006 and was inducted into the DeKalb County Sports Hall of Fame in 1998 for his football coaching achievements.
Byron and Nadine, the love of his life for 61 years, were avid square dancers for many years, and they loved to travel together. One of his favorite pastimes was meeting his friends for "round table" coffee. He was a faithful member of Fort Payne United Methodist Church and Robert Purdy Sunday School class.
He is survived by his wife, Nadine Hammonds Shipp; daughter, Gail Spotnitz (Seth) of Gadsden; son, Stanley Shipp of Birmingham; granddaughter, Andrea Garrick (Ben) of Charleston, S.C.; grandson, Garrett Shipp (fiancée, Dede Carroll) of Birmingham; brother, Lester Shipp of Gadsden; and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Fort Payne United Methodist Church Christian Life Center; Rainsville Public Library; Heartlite Hospice Care, 100 West Charlotte Ave., Scottsboro, AL 35768.