29 Aug 1944 – 30 Apr 2024
Karen L. Shipman Obituary
Longtime Yreka resident Karen Capps Shipman passed away on April 30, 2024 at her home in Yreka. She was 79 years old.
Karen was born on August 29, 1944 in Portland, Oregon to Joel L. and Viola Hoffman Barker. She was the fifth of six children. The family moved to Grants Pass in 1949 where Karen attended school and graduated from Grants Pass High School in 1962. She started working at the age of 16 at Woolworths, then Oregon Technical Products and Champion Products in Grants Pass.
In 1968, Karen met and married Robert Capps. In 1971 Robert, who was a log scaler, was transferred to Yreka, so Robert and Karen moved to Yreka with their two kids, Jeff and Kristi. In Yreka, Karen was active in Welcome Wagon, Yreka PTA, Yreka Co-op Nursery School, Yreka Youth Baseball, Yreka Youth Football, Yreka Swim Team, Yreka Lioness Club, Siskiyou Habitat for Humanity and Beta Sigma Phi.
Karen became a bookkeeper and went back to work in 1978. In 1982 she went to work for Serv and Save Plywood for 14 years and Meek’s for a year and a half. In 1998 she went to work for Albert and Michael Newton and worked there until June, 2023.
Karen loved the Lord, her family, friends, rain, Oregon, Siskiyou County, music, dancing, olives and football, especially the Miners, Oregon Ducks and other college football teams as long as they weren’t playing the Ducks.
She has now joined her mother and father, husband Robert Capps, husband Dick Shipman, sister Linda Mauldin, brother Phillip Barker, and niece Vicki Jo Barker. She is survived by children Jeff Capps and Kristi Capps; grandchildren Trevor Capps, Emily Guy, Joshua Guy, Victoria, who was “Gussie” to Karen (Matt) Cook, Sunnie Capps, Bobby Capps, and Olivia Capps; sister Dianne Lorber; brothers Richard (Ginny) Barker and Keith (Ruth) Barker, and many nieces and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, please remember St. Jude’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 50, Memphis, TN 38101-9929 or Rescue Ranch, P.O. Box 1192, Yreka, CA 96097.
source: Girdner Funeral Chapel
