Charles "Charlie" Shipley

Charles (Charlie) Leo Shipley, 72, of Swanton, Ohio, passed away at his home, the morning of May 6th, 2025. He was born on August 1st, 1952, in Norwalk, Ohio, to Louise Ann (Widman) Shipley and Charles Resaw Shipley. Charlie was the older brother of five siblings: Mary Lou, Judy, Karen, Mike, and Jenny. They lived in Norwalk, Ohio until 1964, when they settled permanently in their home in Maumee, Ohio. Even though their dad traveled for work, their parents still had a tradition of piling all the kids in the car and traveling throughout the United States for summer vacations. Charlie went to St. John’s Jesuit High School, where he worked in the kitchen and was well known among the priests by the time he graduated in 1970. Proud to attend the University of Toledo, he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Education. Legend has it, he met his future wife, Carol Reiter, when he was grilling burgers at the UT Catholic Alumni Club cookout. They married in May 1981, and moved to Carol’s family farm in Swanton, Ohio, where they raised their daughters, Amy and Caroline. Charlie and Carol lived together in the house her grandparents built for the entirety of their marriage.

As a new father, Charlie worked at the Pilliod Cabinet Company in Swanton. He spent most of his career in various positions at Johnson Controls, and was a longtime member of the United Auto Workers labor union. Always delighted by the learning process, he also completed an MBA at the Heidelberg University School of Business, among other professional certifications. Charlie was especially attracted to math and taught classes at Owens Community College and Lourdes University over the years. He was very proud and personally touched when he found out that his efforts and patience allowed students to access life-changing opportunities.

A devout Roman Catholic, Charlie’s engagement with his faith was extensive. He was a parishioner at Holy Trinity, Little Flower, and Immaculate Conception Catholic Churches throughout the years. He was an active volunteer in the life of the church community and served in various capacities within and beyond the Mass service. His faith also inspired him to make sacrifices to send both daughters to Catholic schools (Ladyfield, Holy Trinity Elementary, and Notre Dame Academy).

Charlie was a patient and thoughtful soul. When he wasn’t solving math equations on scratch paper or reflecting on daily devotionals, he was an avid reader who cruised through the pages of a wide variety of books. He consistently turned to philosophy and science fiction, particularly the Dune series and Star Trek. His active reading and reflection process inspired his daughters. Drawing on both his readings and his own life experiences, he also loved telling stories (the more embellished the better!), and was often found at a family party fully launched into an epic saga without a clear end in sight. He continued to travel as a father and husband. He and Carol celebrated their honeymoon in West Virginia, and he took his family to Disney World and Niagara Falls when his daughters were very young. He particularly enjoyed travel by ferry, including spontaneous day trips to the Lake Erie Islands, as well as the ferry ride to Morocco as part of travel in Spain.

A hard worker in all aspects of his life, Charlie was also dedicated to the land. He spent countless hours caring for the yard, often experiencing it as a meditative activity that accompanied him through major life events. Without seeming to extend any effort, he had gardens growing that produced tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, and other vegetables and flowers, such as hyacinths, irises, and daffodils. He would dedicate summer hours to painting the two-story house and farm buildings. After strategically setting up a few wooden poles, Charlie had a robust grapevine sourcing organic grapes, and after assembling some basic construction materials, he had housing for rabbits and chickens. He cultivated a love for animals in his daughters by caring for the animals that were passing through (and became family pets), and he left the barn doors open for swallows to build their nests. All of these activities - harvesting potatoes, watering flowers, and gathering the chickens in his famous “chicken rodeos” were part of the life he shared with his daughters, and later became the “stuff” of family legends (such as the Arch Nemesis: Lucifer the Evil Rooster, without a doubt!).

Charlie is survived by his beloved wife Carol Ann Shipley, his daughters Dr. Amy Shipley (A. Wilkie) and Dr. Caroline Shipley (Dr. Erik Scaltriti), his brother Mike (Eva) Shipley, sisters Mary Lou Barker, Judy (Jim) Mersing, Karen (Chris) Baker, Jenny (Bob) Myers, and by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Louise Shipley, mother-in-law Ella Reiter, brothers-in-law Roosevelt Hatcher II and Edward Barker, and niece Lauren Baker.

Visitation will be at the Wiegel Funeral Home in Swanton on Tuesday, May 13th, from 3-7 pm. Family and friends are invited to bring photos of Charlie for display at the visitation. The funeral will take place on Wednesday, May 14th at 10:30 am, with public visitation beginning at 9:30 am, at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. In lieu of flowers, family and friends are invited to provide donations to the Monastery of the Visitation, 1745 Parkside Blvd, Toledo, Ohio, 43607.

“[...] Come with me, let’s go, where we trace back the lives that show

You will never know unless you come with me, let’s go

All of our lives, we put up a fight

Our heroes have died

All of our lives, we’ve known wrong from right

Our people survived

All of our lives, we did what was right

Our soul will survive [...]”

“Lives” by Daron Malakian and Scars on Broadway (2018)