IN MEMORIAM: Bruce A. Shipman II, 55;

Ancestor Model For Cooper’s Bumppo

ILION – Bruce Andrew Shipman II, 55, of Ilion, passed away Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, after a brief illness.

He was born Aug. 23, 1960, in Ilion, the son of Bruce Shipman and the former Carole Watson, and was a graduate of Mohawk High School. On Oct. 1, 1988, he was united in marriage with Dawn Allen in Conklinville.

His family is descended from David Shipman (1729-1813), the woodsman in the Otsego Lake region who was the model for James Fenimore Cooper’s Natty Bumppo – also known as Hawkeye and The Leatherstocking – one of the most famous characters in American literature.

Bruce was employed as an assembler with Remington Arms and over the years on the Mowers Farm, and at Hanson Aggregates, Harbor Point Fuel and Brown’s Feed.

He enjoyed hunting, fishing and the outdoors, being a farmer at heart. He enjoyed bowling, was a Boston Red Sox and Cowboys’ fan. But above all he enjoyed his family.

Survivors include his wife Dawn, his daughter and son-in-law Heather and Samuel Baker of Panama City, Fla., and their children Averie, Ella and Lauretta; his son Andrew and his children, Willow and Ayson, of Ilion.

Also, his parents, Carole and Frank Luppino of Ilion and Bruce and Janice Shipman of Richfield Springs; his brother and sister-in-law Glen “Scott” and Catherine of Oakland, Calif., and several nieces and nephews.

Bruce’s memorial service will be at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Whiter-Hendrix Funeral Home, 100 Otsego St., Ilion, with the Rev. Hans Drews officiating. Friends may call at the funeral home from 1 PM until the time of the service.

To leave an online condolence and light a candle please go to www.whiter-hendrix.com.