Rodney James Shipley

December 3, 1944 - January 6, 2021

Rodney James Shipley, 76, of Sarasota, FL, reluctantly passed away Wednesday, January 6th, 2021, beating his cancerous foe to a draw after over 20 years. He was born December 3, 1944 in Gary, Indiana, to John Gibson Shipley and Elizabeth Jane (nee Campbell) Shipley. He is preceded in death by his parents and his beloved sister, Karen Lynn (nee Shipley) Kosak of Valparaiso, Indiana. He graduated from Lew Wallace High School in 1963 and subsequently Indiana University at Bloomington, class of 1967. True to his ways, Rodney volunteered for the Vietnam War to eschew the draft and choose his service. He was a sergeant in the Army Corps of Engineers for two tours (1968-69). Upon returning from the war, he settled into the bohemian enclave of Nashville, IN, where he started a successful craftsman woodworking business, building everything from furniture to houses (including his own). A creative and restive man, he changed course in mid-life and bought and rebuilt a Chris-Craft boat that he sailed down the Mississippi River and to the Bahamas. After years on the water, he relented to solid ground and moved to Sarasota, Florida, working for many years at Teakdecking Systems. He was known as the research and development arm of the firm, ultimately scouring Southeast Asia for the precious teak timbers necessary for business. And it was through journeys to Thailand that he met his loving wife of 14 years, Nim. Rodney is missed and survived by his wife, Naruemon (Nim; nee Phansida) Shipley; his brother, John Leighton Shipley (Columbus, IN); brother-in-law Steve Kosak (Valparaiso, IN); his nieces Shelly Kosak (Mountain View, CA), Stacy Kosak Roberts (San Antonio, TX), and Kimberly Shipley DeHerrera (Seattle, WA); and nephews Steven T. Kosak (Chicago, IL) and Jay Shipley (Seattle,WA).