PRINCETON — Julia Shipp Alter of Princeton and Boca Raton, Fla., passed away peacefully with her family on Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015.
She was born Oct. 22, 1943, in Galesburg, the daughter of John and Mary Shipp. The majority of her youth was spent in Galesburg but she was a graduate of Brookfield High School in Brookfield, Mo.
Upon graduation, Julia was a valued employee at 3M, Minneapolis, Minn., until her marriage to Timothy R. Alter. Tim and Julia's first date was in the seventh grade and they were lifelong soul mates with 45 years of marriage. Their residences over the years included Peoria, Athens, Ga., Rome, Ga., Cincinnati, Ohio, Louisville, Ky., Lexington, Ky., and finally Princeton in 1980.
In 1980, Tim and Julia acquired Illinois Valley Container Corp. in Peru and in 1990 they also acquired Heritage Packaging Corp. in Lincoln. In 2004, the Alters were part of a startup company, Independence Corrugated, located in Oak Creek, Wis. Julia was on numerous boards throughout her lifetime but her proudest professional accomplishment was being the vice president of two successful corporations.
She was preceded in death by Timothy Alter in April of 2012. Survivors include a daughter, Virginia Krieg, and her husband, Allen, of Senica, S.C.; a son, Jay, and his wife, Jennifer, of Princeton; and five grandchildren, James, Conner, Caleb, Olivia and Nicholas. She is also survived by a sister, Marilyn Tapper of Lincoln; a brother, Jim Shipp, and his wife, Lynn, of Altona; and sister and brother-in-law, Susan and Mark Smith of Delray Beach, Fla.; and several nieces and nephews.
A family memorial service will be conducted in the coastal waters of South Florida.
In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful for donations to St. Jude's Children's Hospital or the Princeton Public Library.