KANSAS CITY, Mo. — One of the last-surviving members of the Tuskegee Airmen was laid to rest Monday in a cemetery east of Kansas City, Missouri.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol was among the agencies Monday to recognize the life of James Lloyd Shipley, who passed away July 21 at the age of 99.
Shipley was escorted to the Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville, Missouri, as part of a ceremony late Monday morning.
Shipley was born in Tipton, Missouri, where he developed a fascination of engines, according to his obituary.
That fascination eventually led the then-19-year-old Shipley to join the Black Army Air Corps in 1942.
He completed basic training at the Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, where his association with the Tuskegee Airmen began.
Shipley served during World War II in Italy, earning the rank of staff sergeant.
He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Mildred.
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