Mark Allen Shipman was born June 6, 1950 and passed away February 5, 2018.

Though he had no obituary, we learned the following information through a lengthy conversation with Debra Shipman, Mark's third spouse.

He lived in a number of places during his life, including Crestline, CA, Rancho Cucamunga, San Luis Obispo, Mojave, Tehachapi, Bakersfield and other places across the western US.

He was in the US Army for 6 years, primarily working as a reconnaissance and surveillance leader in Vietnam, which proved to be a stressful assignment.  He concluded his service to the country as a drill sergeant, a role in which he excelled.  After an honorable discharge from the Army he was a correctional officer for two years but did not care for the work.

He then moved into the construction field for the remainder of his working life. He started off as a journeyman carpenter but eventually moved into work as a construction superintendent.  He worked on or led a number of interesting projects, including building a cement plant in Mojave, building the Madonna Shopping Center in SLO,  and rebuilding Harvey's Resort in Stateline, NV.   The resort had been blown up in 1980 -- read about it HERE.   

Mark prided himself in his dog training abilities, using his deep voice to coax the canines to do what he wanted them to do.  He was also an "outdoor guy" and was a fine marksman. 

Later in life, Mark retired in 2007 and moved to Tehachapi where he participated in local theatrical productions, including One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and To Kill A Mockingbird.  

Throughout his life Mark was more than willing to take on large individual responsibilties and certainly did not shy away from being the center of attention.