Joan Shannon Shipley

After living an incredible life, Joan Shannon Shipley passed peacefully at age 90, on May 26, 2021, in Fruitland, Idaho, at the home of her stepson, Rick Shipley. She had been battling cancer, dementia, and had suffered several strokes. She was born Joan Margaret Fritz on June 12, 1930, in St. Cloud, Minnesota, to Frank Hubert Fritz and Hazel Mae (Cain) Fritz. She had three older brothers: David, Scott and James. Joan loved music growing up, and as a teenager found a job and a room in a neighboring town so that she could participate in the music program at the high school there. In 1948, she worked at Glacier National Park in the glory days of the National Park System. The only way to get there was by train in those days. Joan entered the Sisters of St Joseph Carondelet at 19 and was a Catholic nun and teacher/counselor for twenty years. She earned a master's degree from Notre Dame University at a time when few women were in attendance. After leaving the convent, Joan was a high school counselor in San Diego. During her summer breaks she would spend her time traveling around the country - many times on her BMW motorcycle. In 1980, Joan met and married Robert "Bob" Neil Shipley, a retired radiologist, on the bow of the 45' sailboat that Bob was building in his backyard. They finished building the sailboat, christened her the Loana, and spent the next ten years sailing the Pacific. After launching the Loana in San Diego, they sailed north to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and then made their way to Hawaii, Fiji, and all the way to New Zealand, which they both said was their favorite place in the world. After selling the boat, Bob and Joan became nomads, as they put it, traveling in an RV throughout Mexico, Canada, up to Alaska and then through the rest of the continental United States. With Joan in her late 60's and Bob turning 70, they built a solar house in Tucson, Arizona. Doing the majority of the work themselves, they used sub-contractors only for the foundation and sheetrock. Joan loved singing with the Desert Tones, a women's singing group in the Tucson area, and spent many enjoyable years performing with them. Eventually, though, the open road called to them again. Selling the house, they bought an RV and spent most of the rest of their lives as nomads. Throughout the years, whether with Bob or other friends, Joan was able to travel throughout the North American contingent, explore the islands of the Pacific, go to Europe, South America, the Caribbean, Israel, Africa, China and India. She probably made it to many other parts of the world along the way. Joan did love to travel! When Bob passed in 2017, Joan moved in with her stepson, Rick, and his wife, Cindy, eventually settling in SW Idaho. Joan is survived by several nephews, nieces as well as her niece and goddaughter, Rita Fritz (Norman) Miller of Minnesota and her three stepchildren, Rick (Cindy) Shipley of Idaho, Jan (Jim) Mayer of Colorado, and Ron (Audrey) Shipley of Texas. Per Joan's request, no services will be held. Service Details. Online Memory & Photo Sharing Event Ongoing Online Event About this event In Loving Memory Of Joan Shipley June 12, 1930 - May 26, 2021 Look inside to read what others have shared Family and friends are coming together online to create a special keepsake. Every memory left on the online obituary will be automatically included in this book. View Tribute Book