Erin Go Braugh! March 14, 2011

Never slow down,

Never grow old.

~Tom Petty

Hello Family and Friends,

Today is the birthday of my "brother by another mother," one-time brother-in-law but now adopted sibling, Jerry Clark. Jerry lives in Lubbock, Texas with his wife Cathrina and works with his daughter Susan in their business selling yearbooks and class rings. His favorite saying these days is the quote at the top of this post. Happy Birthday, Jerry!

Jerry and wife Cathrina Clark
with Maida Shepard in the middle

Jerry: "I know our dads never met, but in my mind I think they might have walked past each other some where in the dust of Oklahoma and Colorado. I do know that we are related now and how great it is to be a part of the Davis-Shepard family tree. Linda was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life.

"As far as how things are going now... it is great to be a granddad. Cathrina and I love all 8 grand kids (5 of mine and 3 of hers).

"Work is busy here with the end of school near. After 30 years of school related business I am thankful that I never had to have a real job! Working with Susan is a blessing and I think we have never had a cross word about business. She turns 31 (as does Amanda) this year. God has blessed us.

Jerry with grandkids
Miller and Emmerson Cave

"Cat and I are attending a start up church in Lubbock called Experience Life. Young preacher really hits on all cylinders and we feel the spirit working. Everyone is welcome to dusty west Texas to see us at the casa!"

Coffee With Clark. Jerry shared with me the link to Coffee With Clark, the blog of his brother Terry Clark. It is very well written and worth a look. Terry's blog is included in the list of links you can find online at The Shepard's Crook (the main page, right hand column, under Blogs and Sites of Family and Friends).

Erin Go Braugh! With Saint Patrick's Day coming up this Thursday, it is the perfect opportunity to celebrate our Irish Heritage. I have identified 11 different people in our family tree who immigrated to America from Ireland in the 17th and 18th centuries. The first in the list below is an ancestor of my paternal grandmother Bura Davis Shepard. The others are all ancestors of my maternal grandmother Nola Shannon Gower.

Here then is our family's own personal Irish Hall of Fame:

• James Spear (1768-1821), Bura Davis' Ggrandfather, from County Armaugh, Ireland.
• Thomas Shannon (1686-1737) and wife Eigness (Reid) Shannon (1686-1737), Nola Shannon Gower's GGGgrandparents from Munster, Ireland.
• Mary Maxwell (1634-1680) and her daughter Jane Alexander (1665-1691), Nola's GGGGGG grandmother from Donegal, Ireland.
• Mary Hamilton (1600-1634), Nola's GGGGGGGG grandmother, also from Donegal, Ireland.
• William Gray (1771-1865), Nola's GG grandfather from Antrim, Ireland.
• Margaret (Pike) Pickens (1672-1740) and her son Israel Pickens (1693-1749), Nola's GGGG grandfather from Limerick, Ireland.
• George Davice (b. 1660) and his daughter Martha Davice/Davis (1708-1774), Nola's GGGG grandmother from Donegal, Ireland.

Each of these persons has their own stories of hardships and happiness, only a few of which we will ever know. Some of these stories I have shared in this blog before and others I plan to share in future posts. We can be grateful for their courage and celebrate the Irish blood that flows through us because of them. Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
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Steve