The people of Clarendon may not be very familiar with Michael Shipp, but his wife, Iesha, says, "To myself and our two kids, that name means the world."
Michael Shipp grew up in Norfolk, Virginia riding bikes his entire childhood. When he turned 20 years old, he married his high school sweetheart Iesha when she was just seventeen.
Getting her education was very important to his young wife, so Michael went to work to support them through her college career. Upon her graduation, the roles reversed a bit, and she went to work so that Michael could open his own bicycle shop. "He decided he wanted to do his own thing, and his own thing was to open up a bike shop," said Iesha.
"Mike was his own person. He loved to get out and ride his bike and had worked in a bike shop his entire life. It was an amazing thing to see him in his element; he was so good at listening to people and hearing what it was that they were looking for, and it was a curious thing for me ," continued Iesha, "because he didn't listen that well to me all the time."
"Michael was such a character and loved the people he was around and getting out for bike rides," Iesha said. Michael’s passion was not just for people who used their bicycles for exercise and recreation but also for those who used it as their only mode of transportation. Michael helped out a gentleman who had a lot of life stacked against him and had limited resources. Michael would find different jobs for him to do around the bike shop when the man needed extra work. Although this man was homeless, he worked hard and had only his bicycle for getting around. "The man called Mike quite often, and Mike was always willing to help. Mike helped people whenever he could. Sometimes it was by providing a bike, giving an inner tube, or simply fixing a stranger's flat tire along the road."
On Feb. 16, 2023, Mike was going to Clermont, Florida. In the cycling community, there is a two-week cycling trip there that has been going on for well over a decade. It's a large event. He stayed in North Carolina on the night of Feb. 15, and the next morning he stopped at a coffee shop in Florence, SC. Just before noon, Michael called his wife to let her know he was stopping in Manning to work out at Anytime Fitness and to take his bike out of the travel trailer for a ride. Afterwards, he would get back on his journey to Florida. Iesha missed the call because she was in the dentist office, but received Michael’s text detailing his plans.
The next alert Iesha got would be the last. She said, "I had a notification from, I am not sure if it was his iPhone or Apple Watch, but it alerted me that a hard fall had occurred and a 911 call had been made. From that moment I began to text and call him nonstop. Finally, someone answered Mike's Apple Watch. I thought it was EMS, and I began to give them my insurance information when the voice on the other end asked me, 'are you alone?' Iesha continued, "I was speaking to the Clarendon County Coroner."
Mike had been struck by a vehicle while riding his bike.
Iesha needed help getting Michael's trailer and truck back to Norfolk so she was not able to come to Clarendon until the next day. An active-duty officer and retired officer met her at the coroner’s office, took her to the scene, and helped her get to the funeral home that was preparing Mike's body to be returned to his home in Virginia.
Iesha said, "They were so kind and empathic. I finally had the chance to hold Michael’s head and kiss his face, to clasp his hands and rub his feet, only his lifeless body wouldn’t feel it.”
"Mike was on his way back to his truck at Anytime Fitness when he was struck. He had been to a local park to ride through. Mike was on the bike and wasn't doing anything wrong. He wasn't on his phone; I have checked our phone records. He was following all of the safety rules and regulations that bikers should follow."
"We have two beautiful children, a daughter 22, and a son who just turned 21." The family had just celebrated Michael's 53th birthday on Feb. 14, two days before the incident.
Iesha said wants the residents of Clarendon to know that her husband was more than just a faceless victim; she emphasized that he was a loving and loyal husband, an amazing father, and a wonderful friend to many.
She said, "When I finally got his phone and brought myself to listen to the unheard messages, there was a message from the man that Mike looked out for at the bike shop, professing his love for Michael and his gratefulness for their friendship."
The driver who hit Michael Shipp is a minor and at time of print, no official charges have been filed.
Iesha commented on this, saying "I want accountability; my husband was not at fault, and I do not understand how this happened. I don't want Michael’s death to be in vain."
