Scholarship funding to continue into the future

By Robert Williams

Editor

Replacing the life of a lost child is impossible, but over the past 15 years the Shipman family has garnered a large, extended family who all came together to support the family after the loss of their son Tyler for more than a decade.

At the conclusion of the final show Saturday afternoon in Frazee, the journey of a decade-and-a-half left Tyler’s mother Daneele Shipman with a strong feeling of completion and closure.

“It really does,” she said. “We’ll still continue to do scholarships and something in some fashion, but I feel this chapter, for me, feels like a good closure. It was very successful and I think everybody was really pleased with how the day went. It was a very happy atmosphere, a lot of memory sharing, a lot of reminiscing, but also a lot of looking forward.”

The final show had a 15-year-high 46 pre-registered participants, a number which blew away every other show. Most years, people would just register at the show but the announcement of the Shipman shows’ end had people eager to sign up.

In all, there were 86 participants, the second biggest show next to the first one (100) in 2010.

There was a distinct difference Saturday afternoon as the weeklong gathering at the Shipman home switched venues to downtown Frazee for the final trip of the Fieroheads and the rest of the crew to Main Avenue.

“I think the energy was different,” said Shipman. “People kept coming up to the registration table and talking about memories and can’t believe it’s over and what are you going to do now? Those kinds of questions.”

Camp Shipman, an evolving makeshift campground for show participants, has been a busy place the past week and Saturday night was the official end to festive week for the family and their friends.

“At our house, it’s been different and there are already plans to get together and a lot of people are at our house,” Shipman laughed. “Last night, I want to say there were about 60-65 people and tonight there are going to be more.”

On what was surely to be an emotional day, there is a finality that still lingers a bit into the future for the Shipmans.

“It’ll probably hit me next week,” said Daneele.

There was one moment Saturday that did get past Daneele’s guard and that was when she was presented with a Pegasus Award for 15 years of community service.

“That was the only time I cried; it was an emotional day but I didn’t cry until then,” she said.

Having contributed thousands of dollars of scholarship money to local graduates and helping out families in need around the region, the end of the show is not going to be the end of that assistance.

Existing funds and funds raised from the final show will be put into the Tyler Shipman Memorial Fund for scholarship disbursement for years to come. Running a successful fundraiser for 15 years and into the future is only possible with the help and support of volunteers year after year.

While Tyler remains with the Shipmans in spirit, supporting his dream and helping so many others with the car show has extended the Shipman family to hundreds of other people over the years.

“They’re more family than volunteers, for sure,” Shipman said. “That’s why, already, there is talk about getting together next year. We’ll continue to do that just without the car show.”

For more photos from the final show visit Tyler Shipman Memorial Car Show on Facebook.