Bill Elwynn Shupe

Bill Elwynn Shupe, 86, of Arlington, Texas passed away on Saturday, December 24, 2022. The most important thing that can be said about Bill is that he lived his life in service and devotion to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. To quote Bill from one of his poems, he is now ‘resting under a shade tree across the Jordan river, waiting on us to join him.’

Bill was born to Art Shupe and Maud Ryan Shupe on August 31, 1939, in Mountain Park, Oklahoma. Bill lived his early years there and graduated high school in Granite, Oklahoma. He married Frances Freeman of Arlington, Texas in 1958 and they had 3 children born between 1960 and 1965.

Bill attended Harding college, Searcy, Arkansas, for two years and then served in the U.S. Air Force for 6 years as a staff sergeant and was stationed in Japan, South Korea and Bermuda. Bill had more than one career – he worked for several years with Bendix Corp. and Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) as a field engineer and draftsman. In 1964 Bill was stationed in Madagascar as Bendix’s lead field technician for the Gemini space tracking station. After the massive aerospace industry layoffs in 1971, Bill reinvented himself by going back to school and graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) with a degree in accounting, all while working a warehouse job to support his family of 5. After graduation, he worked for the Ervin Prater Pickens Snodgrass & Koch accounting agency and became a certified public accountant. Bill transitioned to an internal auditor position a UTA and spent his last 22 working years there as the head internal auditor. During his time at UTA, Bill authored the standards of internal audit for the UT system.

Bill was a longtime member of the Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ. During his lifetime, Bill was known for his wry humor, generosity, and quiet ways. He loved fishing and camping. He was a faithful Christian, good man, poet, cherished husband and father.

The Celebration of Life Service for Bill will be held on January 21, 2023, at 2:00 PM at Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ, Arlington, Texas.

Bill is lovingly remembered and held in high esteem by his wife of 64 years, Frances, his children and spouses – Jon and Denise, Suzy and Gary, Billy and Ida; 5 grandchildren – Kristine (Brion), Mitch, David (Kim), Sarah (Josh) and Ashley; 2 great grandchildren – Dante and Tauriel.

Bill is also survived by a host of beloved Shupe, Ryan, Freeman and Morgan relatives including, brothers/sisters-in-law – Joe David, Lorraine and Dave, Elmo and Pat, Ray and Roma; nieces/nephews – April (John), David Marrs, Randy, Robby (Winnie), Joel (Karen), Julie (Robert), Andrew (Shea); great nieces/nephews – Daykota, Ryan, Mabry, Carrington, Blythe, Micah and Charlotte.

Bill is preceded in death and is joined in heaven by his father and mother – Art and Maud, his sister – Marva Jo, father/mother-in-law – Elton and Claudie, nephew – David Freeman, cousins – Arline, Jackie, Shirley, Bill Anderson and other cherished aunts, uncles and cousins.

Bill’s life was lovingly summarized by the following poem penned by his son, Billy Shupe:

He didn’t seem like a mountain.
He always appeared to be
A normal quiet guy.
Always courteous and ready
To let everyone go first.
Fought to pick up the tab.
Invested in the important lesser support functions of the church.
Working a job that was very important
But not attractive in the career market.
But Dad was always there.
You knew where he stood
And what he stood for.
His will to finish was mighty.
His presence always known.
He could be counted on.
Direction forward.
Prepared to face everything.
I set my course in life by his star chart.
Now the stars will burn a little dimmer
As we sail without our captain.

The Shupe family would be honored for you to consider a donation to any of the following charities in Bill’s memory:

• Sunny Glen Children’s Home – https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/S0Zy4Q?vid=whjd7
• Tipton Children’s Home – https://www.tiptonchildrenshome.com/support-tipton-childens-home/
• Pleasant Ridge Church of Christ: Hearts and Hands – https://www.shelbygiving.com/App/Giving/plea6102199 (Select ‘Hearts and Hands’ in Fund field list)