The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“It’s an unfortunate tragedy”
A Gunnison resident and familiar face around Crested Butte, Craig Shipper, passed away unexpectedly on New Year’s Eve.
Shipper was attending a music concert in Denver when friends found him deceased in his hotel room. He was 24 years old, and was about to have a birthday in February. As of press time, no information was available about the cause of his death.
Shipper was a junior at Western State College, pursuing a double major in biology and sociology. He was originally from Warrenton, Virginia.
Shipper’s parents currently reside in Kiowa, Colorado.
Memorial services for Shipper will be held on Saturday, January 10 at the Majestic View Church in Kiowa.
A wake will be held in memory of Shipper at the Talk of the Town in Crested Butte on Monday, January 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Shipper’s parents have also indicated they wish to host a celebration of his life this summer in Gunnison and will spread his ashes in the mountains.
Friends and teachers say Shipper was a great guy, who was making big strides in his academic and social life.
He worked at a restaurant in Crested Butte, and was also the doorman at the Talk of the Town for several years.
One of Shipper’s instructors at Western State College, sociology professor Dan Cress, says Shipper had really improved his studies in the last year. “He was a joy in the classroom, and the students liked him,” Cress says. “What Craig really had going for him was an ability to integrate his life experiences with the content of his classes.”
“He was a success story. He was doing really well academically,” says Western’s associate vice president of student affairs, Gary Pierson. “It’s an unfortunate tragedy… On behalf of the college, our deepest sympathies go out to his family.”
Talk of the Town owner Joel Lewis says, “Craig was an awesome guy. Just a fun-loving guy, and he loved music.”
According to Lewis, Craig and his friends would travel across the country to see their favorite bands in concert. “He was just an easy-going guy. [His loss] was a real shock,” Lewis says.
