Hello from Anacortes, Washington, where Cindy and I are visiting with Maida and the rest of the family in this area. All the Shepards up here are excited about hosting the family reunion this summer on Saturday, July 19, and look forward to welcoming all of you who will be coming from places far or near. Be sure and let us know if you will be attending, and when you will be arriving. If you are coming by air, help with transportation from the SeaTac airport may be possible.
Fascinating Family Fact: Speaking of Anacortes... Did you know? Anacortes is a scenic Puget Sound resort community, a popular ferry stop on the way to the San Juan Islands, and an hour and a half drive north of Seattle.
The first of our Shepard family to live in these parts were Eugene and Maida Shepard, who sold their home in San Diego and moved here 30 years ago this spring, after Eugene retired from Civil service work. At first it was just the two of them and their youngest son Russell, who was still in High School. Their other 4 children were either married and on their own, or busy
with other pursuits. Part of the reason for their move to the North West was to help with a small Church of Christ congregation in Anacortes whose minister was a friend from San Diego.Over the last 30 years most of Maida and Gene's clan has settled in and around Anacortes, including Barbara in Anacortes (who lives with Maida), Russell and his wife Pam and their kids in Anacortes, Gary and his wife Cindy in nearby Oak Harbor, Wa, and Darrell and his wife Mary and their kids in Bothell, Wa. (a suburb of Seattle). Cindy and I are holdouts who still live in California, as does our son Nathan. Washington is too beautiful a place to visit to move here! ;-)
Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is an old one of 20-year-old Maida Gower and 24-year-old Eugene Shepard, newlyweds on their honeymoon in Anaheim, Ca. Gene was in the Navy at the time, stationed at Los Alamitos Naval Air Station. There's was a small wartime wedding in San Diego at the El Cajon Blvd Church of Christ May 24, 1945. They enjoyed almost 60 years of marriage before Eugene died in the summer of 2003.
The other is a picture of the 1994 Anacortes family reunion. (You can click on the picture for a larger view.) In the picture are Bill and Pauline Russell, Art and Havilah Colgain (Joan's daughter), Maida and Eugene Shepard, their children Gary, Steve, Darrell, Barbara, and Russell, several of their grandchildren (Kerri, Kelly, Nathan, Chris, Rachel, Patrick, Linda and Steven Paul), Jerry Clark on the far left, and several members of Maida's Gower family. (We want all of you in the photo at this year's family reunion!)
This photo reminds us that we have lost several family members since this picture was taken. Not just Bill and Pauline and Eugene, who are in this picture, but others as well. We remember them all fondly.
Happy Birthday to Darrell Shepard this coming Wednesday, February 27!
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Steve
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