Shepard Family Update, May 29, 2009

A happy family is but an earlier heaven.

-- John Bowring

Hello Shepard Family and Friends,

Cindy and I are enjoying the week with our mothers and my sister Barbara (the "Yayas"), and seeing the sights of San Diego. Where do these octogenarians get all this energy!? What a great week it has been with friendships renewed, as well as visits to major venues like Sea Port Village, Old Town, the Zoo, and Sea World. We also visited some other less glamorous, but equally important places like Greenwood cemetery, where a dozen red roses were just about enough to grace the graves of our dearly departed.

This first picture I am including was taken earlier this past week, and shows the four Yaya's who spent the week together with me as chaperone, security, and photographer, all wrapped into one. From left to right in the picture are Barbara and Maida Shepard from Anacortes, Washington, and Paula Harris and her daughter Cindy Shepard of San Diego. Barbara, Maida, Cindy and I are looking forward to being among those attending the family reunion this summer.

Speaking of family reunion, the time is drawing near for the event July 18 in Newcastle, Oklahoma. It will be a wonderful time to meet family far and near, and young and old, some of whom you may not have seen in a long time, if ever! As I have mentioned before, I solicit any pictures of your particular family group that I can include in a photo presentation I will be sharing at the reunion.

Also at the reunion Dane Shepard will offer a special presentation, which he says will show "the 'lighter side' of the William and Bura Shepard branch of the family. Come and see the 'real story' behind some of those old photos!" I am including a sample slide from that presentation that Dane sent to me. It includes several old pictures of family members. Some of the images are rather small, so you may want to click on the picture to see a larger view. If you can identify all the people in this collage, you are doing better than me!

The final word this week is a sad one. Last week we were saddened by the unexpected death of Cindy's younger brother Joe Paul Harris of a heart attack. Like Cindy, he grew up in San Diego, but for the last 18 years he has lived in the small town of Naknek, Alaska. Our prayers and best wishes are with Cindy and her mom Paula, and their entire family in this time of loss.
--
Steve