Flornel Marie Shipley Obituary

With profound sadness, we say goodbye to Flornel Marie Shipley (Panama City Beach, Florida), whose vibrant spirit touched the lives of many. Flornel left this world on December 3, 2024 at the age of 95, leaving a void in the lives of so many people.

Flornel/Floss Shipley was born and spent most of her life in Baltimore Maryland. After graduating from Kenwood Sr High School, she began work as a secretary/stenographer for various companies, including work for the US Air force at the Glen L. Martin Co in Baltimore. After marriage to Robert/Bob Shipley she settled down to raise her family. Sailing became an integral part of their lives and summers were spent on their 38' yawl "Tipsy," exploring all the nooks and crannies of the Chesapeake Bay.

Floss lived a vibrant life, making friends everywhere she went. Besides sailing, she loved going to the theater and was a season ticket holder at the Baltimore Symphony. She and Bob enjoyed travel after his retirement and were able to explore nearly every continent both by land and by sea. One of her final joys after moving to Panama City Beach FL was to go to the bar see her son Mike/Spike play drums.

Preceded in death by husband Robert/Bob and son Roger, she is survived by son Michael (Rosemeiry), daughter Susan (Karl), four grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren.

A celebration of her life will be held in Baltimore after all danger of snow has passed.

I Am Standing Upon The Seashore - by Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore.
A ship at my side spreads her white
sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength.
I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come
to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says;
"There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull
and spar as she was when she left my side
and she is just as able to bear her
load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone
at my side says, "There, she is gone!"
There are other eyes watching her coming,
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout;
"Here she comes!"