Wayne Ray Shipp Sr.

Wayne Shipp, Sr., of Rio Medina passed away April 23, 2024, at the age of 86. He was born March 1, 1938, in Dallas, Texas to Otis Lee Shipp and Pauline Kemp Shipp (Clevenger). A self-made man, Wayne worked several jobs over the years from early childhood trying to sell used newspapers, or handpicked pecans, to picking cotton. As he got older, other jobs included "Fletcher's Corn Dogs" @ State Fair of Texas, "Whites Auto", "Earl Hays Chevrolet", "Friendly Chevrolet"," Bob Jenkins Chevrolet", "IH harvester", "L.B. Stewart Service Station", his father's parts house, and "American Motors", to name a few.
His favorite past time was to tell his stories. While working for American Motors for 7 years a job that he did not care for, he saved every dime that he could, putting it aside to start his own business someday.
Wayne Sr. never shied away from hard work and had no problem "dumpster diving" to find items/scraps to turn into funds, and in the process collected all type of things over the years that he would later use for his new ventures or would sell.
Wayne Sr. also served in the Texas Air force National Guard.
On August 1, 1959, he married Afton 'Nell' Annelle Dillard in Madill, Oklahoma. Their marriage was blessed with three children. While they were busy raising their family, Wayne and Nell owned and operated their own convenient stores, known as "Wayne's Drive-In," for many years. These stores were (and some still are) located in the Dallas, Irving, Garland, and Ft. Worth areas. They then purchased Apollo Building Systems in Bullard, Texas, outside of Tyler, and ran it for twenty years before they retired.
Survivors include his son and daughter-in-law, Wayne Shipp, Jr., and Karen of Rio Medina; daughter and son-in-law, Karen Middlebrooks and David of High Rolls, New Mexico; ten grandchildren; several great-grandchildren; sisters Vicki Meyers of Carrollton, and Wanda Soden formerly of Lake fork, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives.
Wayne Sr. was preceded in death by his parents, and his Stepfather whom he loved dearly, James C. Clevenger; his wife, Nell; and his daughter, Sherry Penry, sister Vita Alimian, and brother Jerry Shipp.
A Private Graveside Service was held at the Castroville Community Cemetery in Castroville, Texas, follow by a celebration of his life with family and friends. Memorials may be made in Wayne's memory to the "International fellowship of Christians and Jews".
Arrangements by Tondre-Guinn Funeral Home. Visit www.tondre-guinn.com