Francis Shipman

Frank Shipman was born April 7, 1924, the third of four children, to Lillian and John Shipman, in the Bronx. He, his older brother John, and his sisters Dorothy and Eileen, were children of New York; children of the Depression. They grew up looking after each other and playing along the Bronx River while both parents worked. Frank joined the US Army soon after Pearl Harbor. He served in Patton's First Army as a forward observer for the 551st field artillery and returned home with five major campaign ribbons. The men of the 551st were mostly from the NY area. They were sent to Ft. Bragg, North Carolina for training before taking off for England on the SS Queen Mary. They set out for France during the D-Day invasions and made landing on Omaha. Frank fought at Saint Lo. He was part of the Liberation of Paris. The 551st then made their way up over to fight in the Huertgen Forrest. After some very fierce fighting and a short rest they ended up assisting in the Battle of the Bulge. They made several trips on the Red Ball Express transporting materials between the 1st and 3rd Armies. The 551st were one of the first few groups to approach the Ludendorff Bridge in Remagen, Germany. He was part of the liberation of Buchenwald. After the War, Frank returned to New York. He went to Samuel Gompers trade school at night to learn carpentry. It was during this time that he met Julie Morris at a St Brendan's parish dance. They were engaged on New Year's Eve 1946 and married October 11, 1947. When their first daughter, Kathleen was born in 1949, they decided to move to the suburbs. The new house at 16 Stillwell Avenue in Yonkers was home for the next 40 years. Daughter, Virginia arrived four years later and Margaret four years after that. The family was very active in St John the Baptist parish in Yonkers. The years were filled with family and love. Frank was a Knight of Columbus and remained very active in the Carpenters Union. Frank always worked in Manhattan and worked on every major skyscraper in the city. For many years worked on the construction of the World Trade Center towers. However, his grandchildren's favorite project was the children's slide he built at the Bronx Zoo. His daughters married and he walked them down the aisle, and danced the Father- Daughter dance with joy. Frank was a loving grandfather and the grandchildren remember the little stories and activities he had for each of them. When Julie passed away in 1987 Frank knew that life must go on. He and Mickey Cardamone married in Mickey's native Holland and built a new life - a second chapter as Frank called it - in Melbourne Florida. They moved to Suntree and found delight in learning to play golf and traveling the world; they remained active in Ascension Church parish. Together, they mourned the loss of Mickey's son, Tom, and then her beloved niece, Ingebord Lariby, in the tragedy at the World Trade Center on September 11th and the loss of Kathy's husband Peter Harrington in 1996, and Frank's middle daughter, Ginny Shipman Schnibbe, in 2007. Frank had several guidelines for a happy life; many times he told his daughters, "Everything in moderation", and his loving ways guided us all. When faced with his final challenge, he told us all not to be too sad because he had had the most spectacular life: 2 long loving marriages, wonderful children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and a retirement filled with happiness; he asked, "What more could a man want?". Although we will all miss him terribly, his legacy will live on in all who had the great privilege to know and love him.