Celebrating 96 Years

October 31, 2020
Happy Halloween!

Tomorrow, November 1, our mother Maida Gower Shepard will celebrate 96 years of life. Sunday is fittingly celebrated by many as Dia De Los Muertos or All Saints Sunday. But for her family it will be a day to celebrate that one saint, our mother, whose life has spanned nearly a century. 

The years have taken their toll on mom's mental and physical health. But her spirit is still strong and vibrant. And her spiritual health is undimmed. She has a hard time getting around in this 10th decade of her life. She stays in her living room chair most days and needs someone with her at all times. But she continues to live with grace and dignity the days that the Good Lord has given her to live.

She is the oldest surviving member of both her Gower family and her Shepard family. Her "younger" sister Vicki Gower Johnston turned 87 just two weeks ago. The two of them are gems of our family, reminding us of our Gower history that is worth celebrating and remembering.

Mom and I celebrating Halloween today
at her home in Anacortes, Washington

Mom's birthday is uniquely situated just before Election Day. In 1924, three days after she was born in Mountain View, Arkansas, Calvin Coolidge was elected President. In 1944, just months before she and dad married in San Diego, and a few days after Mom's 20th birthday, Franklin Roosevelt was elected to his 4th term as President, an unprecedented occurrence that prompted a law change. Days after her 32nd birthday in 1956, mom and dad both helped Dwight Eisenhower defeat Adlai Stevenson and win a second term as President. As a child I remember the day dad came home from work wearing an "I Like Ike" button, making it clear where his sentiments lay.

Mom has lived through 16 different Presidents. In addition to the three mentioned above, she lived through Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Those Presidents and the years they served represent an amazing amount of American history that Mom has experienced.

For these and so many other reasons we will celebrate and honor our mother Maida Gower Shepard tomorrow on the occasion of her 96th birthday. During this Pandemic our celebration for her will be small, with only her immediate family in attendance physically. Others will be present on Zoom. If you would like to join us Sunday afternoon to wish her well, send me an email and I'd be glad to send you a Zoom invitation.
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Steve Shepard
(he, him, his)