William Grady Shipley, 96, of Chattanooga, passed into the loving arms of Jesus on July 4, 2020, at Rhea County Hospital, Dayton, Tn.
Grady was the third of six children, born on June 13, 1924, to O.A. and Matilda Shipley in Sale Creek, Tennessee. He graduated from Sale Creek High School in 1942 and was a World War II veteran serving three years in the U.S. Army. He retired from Dixie Yarns after with 43 years of service. He was a member of Brooks Memorial United Methodist Church.
He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Louise; brother, Ben Shipley; sisters, Katherine Walker, Lorena "Sister" Shipley, and Jo Lowe.
Grady is survived by his daughter, Debbie (Tommy) Blake; son, Ted (Cindy) Shipley; brother, Tom Shipley; granddaughters, Carmen (Keith) Hopkins, Kassldy (John) Lander and Andrea (Adam) Randall; great grandchildren, Cameryn and Kendall Griffin, Makenzie, Hailey, Tatum and Josie Lander, Aiden and Andrew Randall; many nieces and nephews.
Grady was a great athlete and played baseball and basketball into his adult life and golf well into his 80’s. He was, a hardworking, soft-spoken man of few words who loved deeply and was called a friend by many. He loved the "Volunteers". In later life his passion was for Pat Summit and the "Lady Vols"
The family wished to express their gratitude to The Veranda and Lifecare of Rhea County for the love and care they provided for the last 4 1/2 years.
The family will receive friends at the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesday. Funeral service will follow at 3 p.m. in the chapel. Interment will follow in Hamilton Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Sadie Keller Foundation Childhood Cancer Awareness, or Juvenile Diabetes Type 1 Research Foundation.
Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganothchapel.com.