W. Bruce Shipley

Weldon Bruce Shipley, 81, passed away Tuesday, July 4, 2017, at CarePartners Hospice Solace. Bruce, a lifelong resident of Asheville, was the son of the late Harold Robert Shipley and Mary Sorrells Shipley. He was a 1954 graduate of Lee H. Edwards High School and a 1958 graduate of Davidson College, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. After graduation from college, Bruce joined his father in the family furniture business, Shipley’s Ethan Allen, and remained active until his retirement. Bruce was a long time member of the Biltmore Forest Country Club where golf and playing ‘set-back’ were his favorite activities with many friends. Bruce was also an army veteran and a member of Central United Methodist Church for 60 years. Bruce is survived by his wife of 59 years, Betty Henderson Shipley; son, Stuart Shipley, and his wife Missy, and their children John Stuart Shipley and Mary Margaret Shipley; daughter Lynne Shipley Murphy and her husband Tom Murphy of Coto de Caza, CA and their children Matthew Chase Murphy, Megan Elizabeth Murphy, and Kelly Murphy Simmons and her husband, William Rees Simmons; and daughter Sandra Shipley Manthorpe of Charlotte, NC and her children Charlotte Louise Manthorpe and Oliver Weldon Manthorpe. Also surviving is Bruce’s brother William H. Shipley of Charlotte, NC and his children Ed Shipley, David Shipley and Holly Devine. A memorial service will be held at Central United Methodist Church, 27 Church Street, Asheville, NC 28801 on Sunday, July 9 at 3:00 PM. Reception to follow in the Fellowship Hall. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Central United Methodist Church Building Fund, 27 Church Street, Asheville, NC 28801 or to CarePartners Hospice, PO Box 25338, Asheville, NC 28813.