Joseph Shima 1907-1993

SHIMA, JONES, CRANSTON, GARCIA, HOLUBAR, TUCKER, LORENCE

Posted By: Sharon Elijah (email)
Date: 11/16/2025 at 07:31:44

The Tipton Conservative - 12 January 1994 page 6

Funeral services and burial for Joseph M. Shima, 86, former Tipton businessman, were held at Valley of the Sun Memorial Park, Chandler, Ariz. Mr. Shima died at his home in Chandler Dec. 3, 1993.

The son of Frank and Emma Kuncl Shima, he was born at Solon Feb. 5, 1907. He was married to Lorel D. Jones. He moved to Tipton in 1943 where he operated a produce company. He was first located in the building recently occupied by the Sears outlet on West 5th Street. In 1944 he moved to a building on South Cedar Street, now torn down, located just south of the Frank Magid Associates building.

At one time he operated 5 egg routes, handling 100,000 eggs a week and employing as many as 12 people in his egg and poultry business.

He sold more eggs at retail than any other person in Tipton history, as many as 40 cases on a Saturday night. However, the egg and poultry business changed and he ended the routes in 1967 and stopped shipping eggs to Chicago.

He was probably the only person in Iowa who put eggs in an incubator and sold dressed poultry, the chicken never leaving his building.

He was also a Purina dealer in Tipton from 1941 to 1966, when he sold West Side Farm Supply to West Marquett.

After closing their business the Shimas moved to Chandler, where he was a Watkins dealer for 18 years, becoming known as "The Watkins Man".

Mr. Shima was a member of the Catholic church and Knights of Columbus.

He is survived by his wife; 2 daughters, Susan (Mrs. Craig) Cranston, Norwalk and Annette Garcia, San Diego, Calif.; a sister, Emily (Mrs. Earl) Howe and 3 grandchildren. He was preceded in death by 3 brothers, Frank, Fred and Stanley and 3 sisters, Mayme Holubar, Margaret Tucker and Libby Lorence.