Renee Shipley passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at the age of 89.

Born on January 11, 1936, in New York, she moved with her family to Petaluma at age five and was an active member of the community ever since.

She developed a passion for sculpting under the tutelage of prominent Petaluma artist, Rosa Estabanez, in the late 1970s. She soon joined the Petaluma Artists’ Association and became a talented sculptor herself, exhibiting and selling her works at local galleries, county fairs, and art shows throughout California and Nevada. She eventually began teaching art to students of all ages, both as a teacher's aide at McDowell Elementary School and privately from her home studio.

Renee loved to travel and made friends everywhere she went. She often joked with her coffee klatch friends at Aqus Café about who among them had visited the most countries.

She also volunteered with COTS (Committee on the Shelterless) for many years, serving meals to Petaluma's unhoused community—a cause close to her heart.

Active and social well into her final days, she loved taking long walks along the Sonoma County coastline or around her neighborhood, tending to her numerous vibrant plants, caring for the neighborhood's stray cats, and visiting with her friends.

She is survived by her loving husband of 63 years, Ronald Shipley, her two brothers Richard and Sid Wallenstein, her children: Kim, Scott, Steve, and Amy, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. 

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