Harry Shippy, president of LifeTime/Nutritional Specialties, died Nov. 22 of pancreatic cancer at his home in San Clemente, Calif. He was 72.

Shippy was born Aug. 25, 1932, in Detroit. A few years after he graduated from high school he began selling Radiance vitamins. When he left the company, he was vice president of sales. In 1971 he moved to California to become the president of Anaheim-based Rich Life Vitamins.

In 1988, he and three partners, Charlie Ung, Tom Krech and Dale Stauch, started LifeTime/Nutritional Supplements in Anaheim. The company was known for its dedication to independent retailers. "We market exclusively to retail health food stores, and do not market to large, mass-market stores," Shippy once said.

Friends say he was outgoing and had a wonderful sense of humor as well as a good businessman and employer.

He is survived by his wife, Linda; four sons, Michael, Steve, Kurt and John; a daughter, Regina Stepp; 18 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.