Margaret Claire Shipman

Margaret Shipman was born on November 5, 1940, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the daughter of Carroll and Hortense (Taylor) Barnes. Margaret was a graduate of Cleveland High School. She was united in marriage to Ronald Lee Shipman on June 5, 1960, at First Presbyterian Church in Cleveland, Oklahoma. Margaret was baptized in 1941 at First Presbyterian, and again in 2013 to declare her continued faith in the Lord.

Margaret and Ronald lived in Sapulpa for 30 years, where they raised their daughters, Cheryl and Stephanie. During much of that time, Margaret served as office manager and chair side assistant in Ronald's dental practice.

Along with some other theater enthusiasts, Margaret was instrumental in purchasing an art deco-style former church that became the Sapulpa Community Theater. She served several years as president of the theater, which is still active today. One of the primary recipients of the theater's ticket sales was the S.H.O.W. organization (now known as Show, Inc.) Margaret also once served as chairman of the group's annual Charity Ball.

She additionally served a term as president of the Sapulpa Women's Chamber of Commerce and was active in the P.E.O. organization. For several years, Margaret also owned and operated Margaret's Hallmark gift shop in downtown Sapulpa.

After Ronald's retirement from dentistry, he and Margaret moved back to their hometown of Cleveland in 1995. She loved cheering on the Cleveland Tigers, regularly attending various sporting events, and for a time she was a substitute teacher at the high school. For over 20 years, she was the president of the Cleveland High School alumni association, with all the duties that entailed. She and Ronald hosted annual homecoming gatherings in their game room for their classes of 1955 and 1959. Margaret remained active in the Cleveland community for as long as her health allowed.

Among the greatest things about her life is that Margaret loved all her family members, including extended family, so much. She was a great supporter for Ronald throughout their 62 years together, and also for Cheryl and Stephanie in all of their endeavors in life. She welcomed and loved her sons-in-law, and she very much enjoyed being involved in the lives of her grandchildren and loved seeing them begin families of their own.

Margaret was so well thought of by those who knew her. One of her special qualities was that she prioritized sending cards to family and friends for their special occasions. This may be why she wanted to own a Hallmark store - because she'd made so many trips to buy Hallmark cards in the past! She was always upbeat and fun to be around. There are many family pictures of her horsing around and enjoying life!

She enjoyed flowers and plants and loved all creatures. She could often be found holding various animals and birds, including those that she'd rescued from one situation or another. Because of this love for all creatures great and small, she was an avid supporter of the Cleveland Pound Pals animal rescue organization.

Margaret passed from this life on November 5, 2022, at the age of 82 at her home in Cleveland, Oklahoma. Margaret will be so missed as she leaves a legacy of love, service, and joy for life.

Survivors include her loving husband Ronald Shipman, two daughters, Cheryl Wilkinson (husband Kent) of Edmond, OK and Stephanie Ellstrom of Norman, OK; one sister, Mary "Winnie" Rader (husband Robert) of Stillwater, OK, and one brother, Loren Barnes (wife Faye) of Lawton, OK; three grandchildren, Michael Wilkinson (wife Sarah Fram) of Cincinnati, OH, Rachel Daniels (husband Jonathan) of Little Rock, AR, and Bella Ellstrom of Norman, OK; one great-grandson William Fram-Wilkinson; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. In addition to her parents, Margaret was preceded in death by an infant daughter and her sister Nancy Barnes.

Services will be held 2:00 pm, Thursday, November 10, 2022 at the Presbyterian-Methodist Fellowship Church of Cleveland with Pastor David Head officiating. The family welcomes flowers, but if you wish, you may instead make a donation to Cleveland Area Pound Pals at clevelandareapoundpals.com. Burial will be held privately in the Woodland Cemetery in Cleveland, Oklahoma. Chapman-Black Funeral Home will be handling the arrangements. Friends and family may visit an online guest book and memorial page for Margaret at www.chapman-black.com.

Copyright Notice

© 2022 (Chapman-Black Funeral Home)

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This obituary is a work protected under international and federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reproduction, distribution or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this compiled work may be reproduced, altered or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

The author hereby grants the newspaper the right to publish the compiled work on the dates and location provided in the submission details and further grants to the newspaper the right to reproduce the work electronically in any website or digital medium owned or controlled by the newspaper provided the copy is not altered or modified in any way. The funeral home's website domain must accompany any reproduction of the work. The work must not be used for or by any person for direct commercialized gain in competition with the author, the funeral home, or their respective businesses.

Privacy Disclaimer

The information contained in this Tribute Wall is intended solely for the private use of the families and friends of the deceased to support each other and honour, respect and pay tribute to the memory of the deceased.

Any and all other use is strictly prohibited. Without limiting the foregoing, any reproduction, distribution of the information contained herein, nor any contact or solicitation of any person identified in this work, nor any attempt to use the information in the work is prohibited.