Lt. Col. James A. Shuping (USAF Retired)

Jim Shuping (age 88) died suddenly on December 2 in Durham, NC. He is survived by a brother, Thomas (Norma) Shuping of Morganton, NC; four children: Bob (Deborah) Shuping of New Market, VA; David (Laura) Shuping of Chantilly, VA; Rev. Ken Shuping, of Salem, VA; Terry (Neil) Angelotti of Centreville, VA; eight grandchildren: Nathan and Aaron (Kaitlin) Bowles; Jason (Caitlin), Christopher and Iva Shuping; Kyle, Emily and Brendan Angelotti; and girlfriend Ellen Durrett of Durham, NC. He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, Susan Smith Shuping.

Jim was the oldest child of Alex and Sayde Shuping and was raised in Morganton, NC, except for a period during WWII when his father was called up for National Guard Service. He attended NC State on an ROTC scholarship, graduating in 1951 with a BS in mechanical engineering. He met Susan Smith (of Oklahoma) while stationed at Hickam AFB in Hawaii. They married in 1956 and he graduated from NC State again in 1957, earning an MS in mechanical engineering with a nuclear option. In the following years, Jim worked in missile design and nuclear testing. After earning an MBA from University of Chicago in 1964, they moved to the Washington, DC, area, where they stayed for 19 years. Jim retired from the Air Force in 1971 as a Lt. Col. He went on to start a series of computer consulting businesses, the most successful of which was Shuping Associates, Inc., sold to SAIC in 1988.

In 1983, Jim and Susan retired a second time and moved back to the area where Jim had grown up, building a house on Lake James in NC. In his retirement, Jim stayed busy in a variety of volunteer work. He kept the books for the Lake James Fire Department (transitioning them to their first automated accounting system). He was active in the Lake James Environmental group and was an officer in the Holiday Shores Community Association. For a short period, he was a substitute teacher for computer science classes at Freedom H.S.

In 2000, Jim and Susan moved to The Forest at Duke Retirement Community in Durham, NC. Again, Jim became very involved in the resident association, chairing the Finance Committee and serving as association President. He stepped down from most responsibilities after Susan was diagnosed with Alzheimer disease and he became her caregiver, yet he still enjoyed his role in the bass section of the Forest Singers and presiding over informal gatherings in the billiards room.

Jim was highly respected for his intelligence and loved for his generous heart.

The family will receive friends from 12 to 1 p.m., Thursday, December 6, 2018 at Sossoman Funeral Home in Morganton.  A celebration of Jim’s life will follow at 1 p.m. in the Colonial Chapel of the funeral home.  Military honors will be provided by the US Air Force.

A memorial service will be held in Durham at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Forest at Duke Benevolent Fund, 2701 Pickett Road, Durham, NC, 27705.

Sossoman Funeral Home and Crematory Center is assisting the family.