John Shipman, age 71, was born in Turlock, CA and passed away peacefully on

June 15, surrounded by his loving family. John attended schools in Turlock, graduating from

Turlock High in 1964. After graduating, John enlisted in the U.S. Army and served

until 1968. John married his wife, Eloise in 1971. His family was of the greatest

importance. In January 1989, he became Co-Founder of Country Ford Trucks Inc. Aside from his love for his family and business, his third love was Motorsports. John had been involved in tractor pulling that covered the Western States, Canada and Hawaii since the mid-seventies. Subsequently, this resulted in his interest in promoting in 1985. During the mid-eighties, he and his wife Eloise launched John Shipman Motorsports that withstood over three decades of Monster Truck, 4X4 Tractor Pulls, Tuff

Truck and Quad drag shows. They conducted and operated the majority of the motorsport nights at the

Stanislaus Fair for the last 30 years in addition to other fairs throughout the Central Valley. Throughout the years of participating and organizing events, he had built many life-long friendships. He is survived by his wife of 47 years, Eloise Shipman; daughter, Kelly (Chris) Camp of Denair; son, Greg (Sara) Shipman of Oakdale; grandchildren: Kyle, Ashlee, Cameron, Taylor, Kaidyn and Grant; sisters: Bettie Edgemond of Turlock, Bonnie Renteria of Turlock and Virginia Dondero of Stockton; along with several nieces and nephews. A Memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, June 30, at Turlock Funeral

Home, 425 N. Soderquist Rd., Turlock. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the charity of your choice.