John Grant Shipley

John Grant Shipley was born on July 18th 1962 in Coral Gables, Florida. He was the second child of Doctor Virgil Shipley and Zannie Mae (Manning) Shipley. John Shipley attended West Lab in Coral Gables for Elementary School and Coral Gable High School before attending the University of  Miami where he studied history and received his Bachelor of Arts in 1984.John soon went on to study Library Science at Florida State University and received a Masters in Library Science in 1989.  John was quickly hired by the Miami- Dade Public Library System as a reference librarian. His love of local history and all things Florida attracted him to work as the specialist in the Florida Department of the Main Library of the Miami- Dade Public Library System. John retired in 2017 after 28 years with the Miami-Dade Public Library System and moved to Cape Cape Coral, Florida. John was a nature lover and could often be found vegetable gardening in his back yard or fertilizing his mango trees. John was a die hard college football fan and attended many University of Miami “ Canes” football games at the Orange Bowl and later at the Hard Rock Stadium. When it wasn’t football season, he would take trips to the Everglades or Fairchild Tropical Garden to enjoy nature.

John had many friends and family who loved him. He is survived by his older brother Doug Shipley of Ashland, Oregon and several cousins who reside in Oklahoma. He is also missed by his former wife and friend Jennifer Shipley and many long time friends from college, high school and the Miami-Dade Public Library System.

John was a fan of the Grateful Dead and lived their philosophy. He went to many shows with his brother and friends. He lived by the Golden Rule and had a huge heart for all he met, even those who were misfits by the social norms of our day. Kindness was behind everything he did. In his memory and his honor please think of him when you go out of your way to be kind to someone. To quote from Uncle John’s Band these lines come to mind “Woah, oh, what I want to know is are you kind?

Rest in Peace John G. Shipley.

Mullins Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cape Coral, is entrusted with final care.