Mary Ruth Shipman
October 12, 2017
A Celebration of Life will be held at Bethesda Presbyterian Church on Tuesday, Oct 17, 2017 at eleven o’clock. A reception will follow in the church fellowship hall.
Mary was born April 21, 1923 in Winston-Salem, N.C., the daughter of Lula Inez Jones Snow and Jasper Newton Snow. After graduating from Brevard College, she worked as a secretary at R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company in Winston-Salem. She later moved to Hendersonville and worked at Ecusta Paper Corporation in Pisgah Forest, N.C. She married Robert L. Johnson in 1943. They had 3 children.
After her husband’s death in 1971 she worked for Olin Corporation in Pisgah Forest until her retirement in 1985. She married Gerald Iverson Shipman in 1998. Upon Mr. Shipman’s death in 2006 she moved to Aberdeen, N.C.
She was a member of Bethesda Presbyterian Church in Aberdeen. She always loved her church wherever she lived. She helped in writing church histories and was passionate about sharing her family’s history.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her sisters Betty Jo Wilson and Lou Roy Hawkins and by her brother Dumont Clark Snow.
She is survived by one brother, Jasper Newton Snow, Jr. (Jo) of Mesquite, TX.; one daughter, Julia Lynne Thomas (Jim) of Aberdeen, N.C.; two sons, Charles Michael Johnson (Judy) of Plant City, Florida and Robert Newton Johnson (Rebecca) of Harrisonburg, Virginia; one stepson, Kenneth (Debbie) of Hendersonville; five grandchildren, Angela Parks (Chris), Jennifer Collins, Michael Johnson (Jesa), Daniel Johnson (Maryama) and Paul Johnson (Roslyn); two step-grandsons, Scott Farkas (Jamie) and Terry Farkas (April); four great-granddaughters, Savannah, Madison, Emma and Sadie; two great grandsons, Colton and Christian and two step great granddaughters, Lindsay and Leann.
In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Bethesda Presbyterian Church music department, 1002 North Sandhills Blvd, Aberdeen, N.C. 28315 or The John Hawkins Music Scholarship, Brevard College, 400 North Broad St., Brevard, N.C. 28712.
Powell Funeral Home is serving the Shipman family.
Condolences on line at pinesfunerals.com
Julia and family, my heart, thoughts, and prayers are with you. What a blessing Mary Ruth Shipman has been in all your lives! What a blessing all of you have been in hers! What a joy it will be to continue telling cherished memories, cherished stories! Lo
Dear family of Mary Ruth, I worked with and became friends with Mary Ruth while working at Ecusta. She was just a wonderful lady, always smiling and caring to all around her. Very intelligent and wise. We spent many lunch hours together and some shopping