THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 12, 1996 TAG: 9610120265
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JUNE ARNEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: 99 lines
Friends and comrades gathered by the hundreds at a shaded grave site in Chesapeake Memorial Gardens Friday to pay tribute to fallen Police Chief Ian M. Shipley Jr.
More than an hour before the service, officers formed a sea of blue and brown uniforms, every badge draped with a band of black. Masons from across the state, wearing traditional white leather aprons and white gloves, flanked one side of the grave. Nearby, an American flag formed by chrysanthemums was the highlight of a floral display.
``I lost a good friend, I can tell you that,'' one guest said to another as the crowd arrived.
At the call to attention, everyone in uniform saluted. Every white-gloved hand reached to cover the heart. Bagpipes sounded the opening strains of ``Amazing Grace.''
Men and women of the Chesapeake Police Honor Guard, in crisp dress uniforms, carried the chief's flag-covered casket under the blue canopy.
They had come to say farewell to Shipley, 55, a 35-year police veteran who died of an apparent heart attack Sunday night while jogging in his neighborhood.
``Continually care for this family,'' prayed the Rev. Dave Libengood, head Chesapeake police chaplain. ``Wrap your arms of love around this city, around the mayor, around this police department, around the sheriff's department.''
In a Masonic rites service by the Grand Lodge of Virginia, Shipley's fellow Masons offered the apron, glove and evergreen as symbols of innocence and Masonic faith. Former Mayor Sid Oman read letters of condolence from Rep. Norman Sisisky and President Clinton.
A 21-gun salute, performed by the Chesapeake Sheriff's Department honor guard, shattered the silence. The police honor guard removed the flag drapped over the casket, silently and precisely folding it into a tight triangle. Acting Chief Richard Justice placed the flag in the arms of Shipley's widow, Dixie, who sat flanked by the couple's grown sons, John and Jim.
Sounds of two buglers playing taps floated across the grass.
Shipley started as a patrolman and rose through the ranks over three decades to become chief in 1990.
Those who came Friday remembered a man whose legacy includes a passion for honesty, fairness and professionalism. Shipley was a man who could talk to a patrol officer as easily as to a fellow administrator. He welcomed change, wasn't afraid to try new things.
He died while jogging within a mile of his home - a familiar route for the dedicated runner who logged between three and five miles most days.
Shipley was the kind of man who cared about his fellow officers, his family and his fellow man. One cold night in March 1993, the chief was in his office when he heard a call about a car that had run off a nearby road and into a pond.
He was first on the scene, diving into 15 feet of water to conduct a rescue. The car's passenger escaped and survived, but the driver of the car died hours later, a victim of hypothermia after spending about 45 minutes in the water.
The chief later was honored for his rescue efforts.
Shipley had been in the Coast Guard Reserve since 1980 and had worked such assignments as guarding dignitaries during the 1984 Olympics in California and a security detail at the rededication of the Statue of Liberty in 1986.
Sometimes there were amusing moments on those assignments. During the detail in New York City, Shipley and Chesapeake Capt. Don Zeagler noticed a man sitting in a beat-up station wagon on a walk through Greenwich Village.
``You want to buy some heroin?'' the man asked.
``No, we're cops,'' Shipley told him.
``Well, I'll give you a police discount,'' the man matter-of-factly replied.
They later reported the incident to a New York City officer.
``His job in the Coast Guard let him go back in time and be part of law enforcement again,'' said Zeagler, who works in the detective bureau.
On Friday morning, at his office at the Norfolk pistol range, Sgt. Donald Scott, a friend and fellow officer, remembered a much younger Shipley - an energetic, 20-something detective in the days when Chesapeake had just merged with South Norfolk.
The cities had common suspects, and on most shifts he and Shipley met to ride together, conduct stakeouts or just talk.
``Even back then, it was obvious he was going to go places,'' said Scott, 61. ``He was an excellent communicator. He knew how to talk to people, and that's a gift.''
It was a gift Shipley never lost as he rose through the ranks.
``He was a policeman's policeman,'' Scott said. ``He could see (through) the eyes of another policeman. A lot of administrators can't.''
Shipley had a reputation for being even-tempered.
``I never saw him mad,'' said Scott. ``That may have been his downfall. Maybe he wasn't able to vent like the rest of us. . . .''
Outside the police department, Shipley was a leader as well. He would have become Grand Master of the Masons for the state of Virginia in 1998.
``I'll tell you, I'm going to miss him,'' Scott said, his voice cracking.
By their words and tears Friday, many seemed to share that sentiment. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]
Ian M. Shipley Jr.
MORT FRYMAN
The Virginian-Pilot
The Chesapeake sheriff's honor guard joins Chesapeake police academy
students at the memorial service Friday for Police Chief Ian M.
Shipley Jr. at Chesapeake Memorial Gardens. by CNB