Ground Hog Day, February 2, 2019

Retirement is when you stop living at work

and begin working at living.

Greetings to all of you from cold, dreary, rainy San Diego on this Ground Hog Day 2019! Ground Hog Day happens to be the very midpoint of winter. Best wishes to all of you who live in places that are experiencing some harsh freezing winter weather. The harsher the weather today, the earlier the good weather of spring, right? We'll see.

Cindy A. Shepard's Birthday and Retirement! Congratulations to Cindy A. Shepard (my brother Gary's wife) whose milestone birthday is today. Cindy and Gary live in Oak Harbor, Washington and are among the Shepard family members who are providing care and support to our 94 year old mother Maida Shepard in Anacortes, Washington.

Cindy A. Shepard (left) 

with Maida Shepard and Gary Shepard

Cindy has been anxiously looking forward to this birthday for a long time. Back in 2003 after Gary retired from the County of San Diego, the two of them moved from Southern California to Western Washington to be with family. At the time our father Eugene Shepard was very ill, and as it turned out, would only live a few more months. Cindy has worked at Schenk Packing Company in Mount Vernon for over 15 years, ever since they relocated to Washington. Today she retires from the working life, and begins a new chapter in her and Gary's life as they celebrate the joy and freedom of retirement. Congratulations to Cindy and best wishes to her and Gary in this next chapter of their lives!

On the right is a family picture showing retiree Cindy Shepard bottom left, with our mother Maida Shepard on the right and Cindy's husband Gary Shepard behind Maida. Also pictured in the back are friends and family Vicki, Barbara, Pam and Steven Paul. This picture was taken at the family home on Wildwood Lane in Anacortes.

Remembering William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915). Today is also a day for remembering my Great Grandfather William Elmer Shepard. He was born on this wintry February day in 1862, 157 years ago, in the midst of the Civil War. Ironically it was also in February, 1862 that William Elmer's father William Shepard was injured in a Civil War battle in Bowling Green, Kentucky. He was taken to a military hospital in Evansville, Indiana where he languished for 5 months before finally succumbing July 22, 1862. Great Grandfather William Elmer never got to know his father, probably never even met him. That sad reality may have contributed to William Elmer's bitter conflict as a teenager with his mother and step-father, a conflict that led to his estrangement from them for the rest of his life. On the upside, young William Elmer married Elvira Owens in Madison, Illinois and together they made a family of their own that eventually settled in Beaver County, Oklahoma.

On the left is a picture of William Elmer Shepard's grave in Sophia Cemetery in Beaver County, Oklahoma. This headstone says that William Elmer was born February 5, 1862. But my records from family members say that he was born February 2, 1862. It is a minor point to be sure, but it does illustrate how there are discrepancies in the historical record occasionally, and we simply do our best to sort it out, sometimes without great certainty.

On this day of remembering his birth, we honor Great Grandfather William Elmer Shepard and his unique life as a fatherless Civil War victim, a runaway, a pioneer, and a hardworking family man. It is hard to imagine the heartbreak, the struggles, the family dysfunction of his early life, and the adversity he encountered in his 53 years, but through it all he endured. Between the families and descendants of his two children, William Shepard and Sadie Shepard Pruett, there are over 150 people today who can be proud to count him among their ancestors.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Celebrate Your Life, June 2, 2017

The more you praise and celebrate your life,

the more there is in life to celebrate.

~Oprah Winfrey

A Shepard Anniversary. Today is the 38th wedding anniversary of my brother Gary and his wife Cindy Ann Shepard of Oak Harbor, Washington. They were married June 2, 1979 in a small garden wedding in Los Alamitos, California. Only a handful of us were in attendance but it was a beautiful event. Those of us who were there remember it well. Happy Anniversary to Gary and Cindy!

Gary and Cindy lived in the San Diego area for most of their married life. They moved to Western Washington in 2003 to help care for our aging father Eugene Shepard who died in the summer of '03. Today they are an indispensable part of the small team of folks who are caring for our mother Maida Shepard. Gary has had his own health concerns in the last year but is doing better. Mom continues to need constant care but is doing quite well for 92 years old.

Another Shepard Anniversary. It was 102 years ago today that Gary's grandparents William and Bura Davis Shepard were married in Beaver County, Oklahoma. At the time they had known each other for less than 2 years. In the spring of 1913, the Davis family moved into the part of Beaver County where the Shepards lived. It was a sparsely populated farming community where potential marriage partners were in short supply. So when 26 year old William met 18 year old Bura, he knew she was someone special. They were married in 1915 on the 45th Birthday of Bura's father James Brooks Davis (1870-1928).

In 1975, the year before William Shepard died, he reminisced about his 1915 wedding day, and his bride, by saying this:

She was quite a Sunday School girl. I had just come into the church myself [the South Flat Church of Christ] in December [1914]. My dad had come in a little earlier than that. He was on his death bed with cancer and wanted to see me become a Christian before he died. So I did.

I had my first model T car. [To get married] we had to go to another sod house where the preacher lived. It was a real wet spring and water was standing everywhere. We didn't have highways. Just old roads. I didn't think we could make it by the regular road so we went on the higher country and ran into a lake and got stuck. We sat there in that car in the mud nearly all day. Finally an old gentleman who lived there pulled us out with his team of horses. It was about 3 or 4 o'clock. 

The preacher then tied the knot and we went home the way we should have when we went out to see him. He must have done a good job tying the knot because it is still tight.

Yet Another Anniversary. Yesterday was the 15th wedding anniversary of Will and Bura Shepard's Great Grandson Jeremy Ortiz and his wife Desiree of El Cajon, California. Best wishes to them for a very happy anniversary! The triptych above shows all three sets of anniversary celebrants: Will and Bura at the top, then Gary and Cindy, and then Jeremy and Desiree.

Congratulations to Graduates. I have mentioned numerous times in this blog my Grandfather William Shepard's sister, Sadie Shepard Pruett (1892-1980). I have been corresponding with one of Sadie's Granddaughters, Lisa Allred Parks of Forth Worth, Texas. Second cousin Lisa responded to my last post concerning this spring's graduates by sharing about two young folks in her part of our family.

Best wishes and kudos to Kenny Wheeler, the son of Lisa's sister Shawna Allred Wheeler. Kenny graduated from High School in Fort Worth just last week. Congratulations also to the daughter of Lisa's brother Steven Allred. Angela Allred Kornegay graduated from the University of Texas at Tyler with a Civil Engineering degree. We celebrate both of them on these fine achievements!

The diptych on the left shows graduate Kenny at the top with a friend, while the bottom section shows graduate Angela with her proud father Steven Allred.

One More Celebration. I recently heard from my cousin Michael Harrell, son of Vicki Gower Johnston of Arizona. Michael and his wife Carole live in Tokyo on a 3 year assignment for Mike's work. He was back in the U.S. last month and contacted me. He and Carole are doing well almost a year into their time in Japan. He reiterated his welcome to any family members who might be visiting Japan to be sure and let them know. If you would like Mike's contact info just let me know and I will gladly pass it on to you.

Mike had a birthday just a few days ago, on May 29. Happy Birthday to Mike and best wishes to him and Carole on their extended stay in Tokyo! To keep up with Mike and Carole, visit them on Facebook.
- - -
Steve Shepard

From Pioneering Stock, June 2, 2016

It is not easy to be a pioneer

- but oh, it is fascinating! 

I would not trade one moment,

even the worst moment,

for all the riches in the world.

~Elizabeth Blackwell

Three celebrations are in order in our family this day. Two are contemporary, one is a remembrance from long ago, involving stories of a genealogical nature and of historical interest.

James Brooks Davis (1870-1928). Today is the anniversary of the birth of my Great Grandfather James Brooks Davis who was born on this day in 1870 near Spencer, Indiana. He was the much admired father of my Grandmother Bura Davis Shepard, who chose her father's birthday as the day to marry William Shepard in 1915. James died at 58 years old, also in the month of June, but in Beaver County, Oklahoma.

Jim Davis was the brave soul who, after living in Indiana all his 43 years, and after being a 3rd generation Hoosier, packed up and moved west in 1913 to Beaver County, Oklahoma, some 900 miles away. He migrated with his wife Callie (also a native Indianan), their 7 children (ages 5 to 16), AND his wife's special needs brother Clayton Spear. To pack up and move a family that size and configuration required a pioneering spirit. It was something between "rather crazy" and "incredibly ambitious." 

But Jim Davis was from pioneering stock; it was in his blood. His grandparents Alexander and Jane Davis had braved the American wilderness some 60 years earlier when they migrated from Monroe County, Ohio to Owen County, Indiana. And they did so with several young children, including my Great Great Grandfather Charles Davis! The stories of their adventures must have been the stuff of many a conversation around Davis dinner tables during James' early years. We remember him, on this his birthday, with admiration for his love of family and his willingness to dream of a better future. He is buried today alongside his wife Callie in Sophia Cemetery in Beaver County. 

The picture above shows James Brooks Davis in 1923 with 4 of his grandchildren, Eugene, Pauline and Elmer Shepard, and Geneva Kilpatrick.

Happy Anniversary Gary and Cindy. Today, June 2, is the 37th anniversary of my brother Gary Shepard and his wife Cindy Dillon Shepard. Happy Anniversary to them! Gary is one of the Great Grandchildren of James Brooks Davis. 

He and Cindy were married in 1979 in Southern California where they lived for the first 34 years of their married life. Today they live in Oak Harbor, Washington just a short drive from Anacortes, Washington where our mother Maida Shepard lives. Cindy and Gary are very helpful in caring for mom who, as she moves into her 90's, is requiring more and more care and attention from her family.

Happy Anniversary Jeremy and Desiree. Yesterday was the 14th wedding anniversary of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz. Jeremy is one of the Great Great Grandchildren of the aforementioned James Brooks Davis. He is the oldest child of Kim Boyd Clark of Blue Springs, Missouri and lives with wife Desiree and their 5 children in El Cajon, California. Best wishes to them for a happy anniversary!
- - -
Steve Shepard

Springtime Celebrations, March 23, 2016

Spring is nature's way of saying,

"Let's party!"

~Robin Williams

Greetings to all on this first week of Spring, 2016! 

Birthday Wishes to Gary Shepard. Happy Birthday today to my brother Gary of Oak Harbor, Washington. He is the first of the 6 children who were born to Eugene and Maida Gower Shepard. Gary was born in San Diego the year after his parents were married there in 1945. He is also the first of the grandchildren of William and Bura Shepard to be born in California.

Gary and his wife Cindy enjoy the quiet life in their peaceful forested community just outside the town of Oak Harbor, which is not too far from where our mom Maida Shepard lives in Anacortes, Washington. At least their neighborhood is usually quiet. Last week their property became just a little less forested when a windstorm brought down one of the tall trees around their home. Their house was not hit but both their cars were damaged, Gary's car being a total loss. It was not the kind of birthday present he was looking for!

"It Took Only 70 Years To Get This Good Looking." The first picture was taken last Saturday at the 70th birthday celebration we had for Gary at their church in Anacortes. It was a party that included family, neighbors and church friends. In this picture is Gary flanked by his mom Maida on the right, and his sister Barbara on the left.

The second picture was taken 35 years ago today, on March 23, 1981, on the day Gary turned 35 years old. On the left is our grandmother Nola Shannon Gower, in whose San Diego home on Lynne Street this picture was taken. Grandma was not quite 80 years old, and had been a widow for about 3 years. Next to her is Gary alongside his wife Cindy. At this particular time the two of them made their home in San Diego and had not yet celebrated their second wedding anniversary. In Cindy's lap is our young son Nathan Shepard (not to be confused with his second cousin Nathan Shepard pictured below). On the right is me in the big hair, matched by the big glasses.

Birthday wishes to Kaylan Shepard. Congratulations to Kaylan Shepard. Kaylan turned 17 years old this past weekend. She is the younger child of my cousin Dane and his wife Cindy Shepard of Blanchard, Oklahoma. Kaylan is the last of the 21 Great Grandchildren of William and Bura Shepard, and is the final descendant of theirs to be born in the 20th century. Originally from Anaheim, California, Kaylan has lived in Oklahoma now for most of her life.

Kaylan: Thank you for wishing me a happy birthday! My junior year has been extremely busy with school, volleyball, art, and college (I am taking a dual enrollment course at a community college nearby). Also, I just recently won first in a volleyball tournament. My birthday this year was the best yet because I had several friends from out of town come and visit. The weekend was a great adventure! Thank you for thinking of me, and I hope you have a wonderful day.

This third image shows Kaylan with her brother Nathan Shepard, in a picture posted on Facebook by their proud mother just last weekend.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Kiss Me I'm Irish! March 17, 2016

Kiss me and you will see how important I am.

~Sylvia Plath

Happy Saint Patrick's Day! As I have mentioned in this blog in the past, our family tree is loaded with Irish immigrants. I continue to add to the number of ancestors who came over from Ireland. Therefore this day and this post is an opportunity to celebrate our long, rich and illustrious Irish heritage.

A few weeks ago I included in this blog a post with a link to a YouTube slide show for Valentines Day. Unfortunately most of you were unable to view it, so I am including it again today in hopes that you can now view it after a few changes. The fact of the matter is that it may be as appropriate for St. Patrick's Day as it was for Valentine's Day.

Kiss Me, I'm Irish! I've titled the following slide show "Kiss Me I'm Irish" for reasons that will be obvious when you see it. You will see wedding day kisses, pecks on the cheek, baby smooches and some other crazy kisses that reflect well this diverse, oddball family to which we all belong. The pictures are of kids and adults, young parents and older lovers, wedding moments, birthday celebrations and everything in between. Each picture includes at least one member of our extended family. How many of these folks can you identify?

Enjoy this homage to love within our family, set to the music of k.d. lang -- herself of Irish ancestry -- singing a contemporary cover of an old classic. 




- - -
Steve Shepard

"I Don't Need Google", February 2, 2016

There is something about

reviewing the lessons of the past

that prepares us to face

the challenges of the future.

~L. Tom Perry

On this Ground Hog Day, I am celebrating three different but important celebrations among people within our family tree.

Cindy Ann Shepard. Today is the birthday of Cindy Ann Dillon Shepard, the wife of my brother Gary Shepard, who lives in the town of Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island, Washington. Cindy was actually born in Rhode Island, but was raised in Southern California. She and Gary were married in Orange County in 1979, and then lived in the San Diego area until they retired to Washington in 2003 where they live today. Cindy has worked for several years in nearby Mount Vernon, Washington at Schenk Packing Company. 

Gary and Cindy Shepard

This first picture shows Gary and Cindy and was taken this past Christmas at the home of Maida Shepard in Anacortes, Washington. Happy Birthday to Cindy!

William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915). Today is the birthday of my Great Grandfather William Elmer Shepard. His is one of the more remarkable stories to be found in our entire family tree, that I have written about numerous times in this blog. His father was a Civil War soldier named William Shepard who died just 5 months after William Elmer was born.

The widow and mother Mary Elizabeth Sprague Shepard rebounded by marrying an older man in Montgomery County, Indiana who already had his own family, but was kind enough to take into his household this young widow and her two sons, 3 year old William Elmer and 4 year old Frank. This united family did not blend well and by the time William Elmer was an older teenager he struck out on his own. He hightailed it out of Montgomery County, then out of the state of Indiana, and landed in Madison County, Illinois, where he met Elvira Owens and his wandering days were over. After marrying Elvira and having two children with her, he moved to Beaver County, Oklahoma where he and Elvira lived out their days. He died in 1915, also in the month of February, at just 53 years old.

We know from the stories of his son, my Granddad William Shepard, that William Elmer died from what was diagnosed at the time as stomach cancer. He was a good father, husband and church member (South Flat Church of Christ), and made a great impact on his son. He died just 4 months before his son married Bura Davis. We remember him today for the witness that he was to his family and his church.

John and Sally After 190 Years. Today is also the anniversary of two of my GGG Grandparents, John Pouty Williams (1806-1898) and Sarah (Sally) Richardson (1801-1877). They were married on this day in 1826, 190 years ago. 

John was born in Kentucky but after his father died in 1813 when young John was a child, his mother Lydia Warford Williams took their 4 children and moved them to Indiana where their family settled for several generations. In Indiana young John met Sally Richardson and even though she was 5 years older, married her when he was 19 and she was 24. Sally was originally from Virginia but had moved as a young woman to Washington County, Indiana, where she and John tied the knot. 

Headstone of Sarah (Sally) Richardson Williams

We don't know much about the wedding of John and Sally, other than it took place in Southern Indiana, on this day, the very midpoint of winter, Ground Hog Day (although the Puxtahawny Phil tradition did not even start until some years later). Indiana was still very much frontier America at that time, the state itself was still very young, Indians were still a major challenge, and travel was very primitive and difficult through this rugged, untamed landscape. 

John and Sally's marriage lasted 51 years -- an amazing length of time in those days -- and endured the build up to, the fighting of, and the rebuilding after the Civil War. Their love resulted in 9 children and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, including Bura Davis Shepard, my grandmother. Sally died in 1877 while John lived until 1898. Grandmother Bura was born just 14 months before the death of her Great Grandfather John Pouty Williams, with the real possibility that the two of them may have actually spent some special moments together.

John and Sally Williams are yet another remarkable couple in our family tree whose lives are worth remembering, and whose love and devotion to one another is deserving of our gratitude. Their final resting place is in the beautiful Pleasant Grove Cemetery in the hills northwest of Spencer, Indiana.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Thankful For Another Day, November 26, 2015

Thank you for the breath to say

Thank you for another day.

On this Thanksgiving Day, 2015, as I think about our family, I am grateful for many things. Here are a few at the top of my Thanksgiving list.

I give thanks for the newest and the oldest family members among us: Finley Grace Shepard and her Great Grandmother Maida Shepard. Finley is the infant daughter of my nephew Christopher Shepard and Jessica Bell of Seattle, Washington. Maida is the proud Great Grandmother of 11, with Finley, at just 6 weeks old, being the youngest of them all. Thank God for Finley and all the babies in our family and for the hope they give us for the future! This first picture shows Maida holding her Great Granddaughter Finley with Maida's birthday cake in the foreground. Maida turned 91 on the first day of this month.

I am also very grateful for my aunt Vicki Gower Johnston, Maida's sister, who is in failing health. It was difficult for her to say goodbye to her husband Duke Johnston who died after a long illness this past summer in Oak Harbor, Washington. 

Vicki had been a resident of Whidbey Island in Washington since the mid 1970s when she moved there from San Diego. This second picture was taken in the early years of Vicki's time in Washington and shows her with Cindy Shepard, wife of my brother Gary.

Vicki was the first of our extended family to move to Washington when she and then-husband Al Perry relocated there. A few years later my parents Maida and Gene Shepard retired and moved from San Diego to Northwest Washington. Today at least 21 members of our Shepard and Gower families live in that area, and it all started with Vicki's decision to move there about 40 years ago. Last month Vicki moved to Sun Lakes, Arizona to live in a care facility near her daughter Paula Tuzzolino.

Happy Birthday this Sunday to Kim Boyd Clark and her grandson Damian Ortiz!

Damian will celebrate his 9th birthday in El Cajon, California where he lives with his family. Damian is one of the great great Grandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard and the third of the five children of Desiree and Jeremy Ortiz. Damian's grandmother Kim, born 45 years before Damian, lives in Blue Springs, Missouri with husband Jeff Clark. This picture shows Kim and grandson Damian in a picture taken last summer in San Diego.

Kim: Winter is beginning to set in here. I love my job at the high school cafeteria. It gives me a lot of joy working with the High School kids and I also love my free time to go places and enjoy life. We will be spending a few weeks in San Diego for Christmas. Jeff and I sold our house and are planning on getting a motor home within the next year to travel and spoil our grandkids even more!

Mom Desiree: Damian is doing wonderful and will be celebrating his 9th birthday on Saturday with friends and family cosmic bowling and playing laser tag. He is thriving in school and played baseball last season and made the All-Star team. Besides Baseball Damien enjoys skateboarding and building with Legos. I just can't believe my first baby boy will be nine years old! Jeremy and I are very proud of Damian and all that he accomplishes. It makes us very proud parents and we love him so much.

May your Thanksgiving Day be a happy one, filled with family joy, good food, and gratitude for all you have.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Celebrants Over A Century Apart, June 26, 2015

If you as parents cut corners,

your children will too.

If you lie, they will too.

If parents snicker at racial and gender jokes,

another generation will pass on the poison.

~Marian Wright Edelman

Kyle Christian Sauvage. Today is Kyle Sauvage's 11th Birthday. Kyle, who lives in Weatherford, Texas, is the younger son of James Sauvage and Kelly Shepard Sauvage. He is the grandson of my brother Gary Shepard and Jackie Enderle Perry. He is also one of the Great Great Grandsons of Leroy and Nola Gower, and William and Bura Shepard.

This first picture shows Kyle holding a certificate he received from a basketball camp he attended earlier this month in Weatherford, Texas.

Elvira Owens Shepard (1865-1931). This coming Wednesday, July 1, is the birthday of Elvira Owens Shepard, the Great Great Great Grandmother of the aforementioned Kyle Sauvage. It was exactly 150 years ago, just as the Civil War was concluding, that she was born in the small community of New Douglas in far north east corner of Madison County, Illinois, 40 miles east of Saint Louis, Missouri.

Historical Note One: The day before Elvira Owens was born, the 4 conspirators in the assassination of President Lincoln, including Mary Surratt, were convicted by a military tribunal, and were hung just a few days later in Washington, D.C. Mary Surratt was the first woman ever sentenced to death by the Federal Government.

In the early 1880s, when just a young woman, Elvira met a young Hoosier vagabond who had recently wandered into town, by the name of William Elmer Shepard. His father had died in the war and he had run off from his home in Indiana to find a new life "out west" which turned out to be Madison County, Illinois. When Elvira and William met, it was the attraction of opposites: he was a wanderer, estranged from his family, unconnected to the community of his birth; she was a local girl from a strong, stable family, well connected to her community. They married in 1886 in Madison County and lived there for the next 20 years, bringing two children, William and Sadie, into the world.

About 1905 Elvira and husband William, with their 2 children, moved 700 miles westward, probably at the urging of the restless William Elmer. They settled in Beaver County, Oklahoma where William and Elvira lived for the rest of their lives. She is buried in Beaver County's Sophia Cemetery, alongside her first husband William Elmer Shepard and her late-in-life second husband Cal Williams.

This second picture (click on it for a larger view) shows a rather ragtag family group and was taken in Beaver County, Oklahoma about 1930. Starting from the far left, the second person (white hair, big smile) is Elvira Owens Shepard. (85 years later her GGG Grandson Kyle has a surprisingly similar smile.) To the right of Elvira is her daughter-in-law Bura Davis Shepard, then Bura's parents James Brooks Davis and Caroline Spear Davis. The tall fellow in the center in back is Lawrence Davis. On the far right looking dapper in a big stetson is Cal Williams (Elvira's second husband) and to the left of him (looking much less dapper in overalls) is my grandfather William Shepard (Elvira's son).

Elvira Owens represents the first generations of Americans in the newly re-United States of America of the late 1860s and beyond. Hers was the first generation that struggled to find the meaning of this American life without the evil of slavery. It was a time of reconstruction, with new opportunities, new prosperity, great social change and the ever growing westward movement.

Elvira also represents our connection to the Owenses of Madison County, Illinois. My grandfather William Shepard was born in Madison County and spent the first 16 or 17 years of his life there, the older child of Elvira and William Elmer. Granddad's only extended family was his mother's Owens family and he must have identified strongly with them throughout his early life and teen years. There are still extended Owens family members in Madison County today, as well as numerous Owens family members elsewhere around the U.S., some of whom are readers of this blog. We are fortunate to be related to them.

Historical Note Two: When Elvira died in 1931, there was a controvery over who should inherit her estate, her children or her second husband Cal Williams. The picture above from 1930 shows what appears to be a happy family gathering, but within a year or so of this picture being taken, the family splintered over the inheritance issue. It became very contentious and the matter was not settled until 1937, 6 years after Elvira's death, by the Oklahoma Supreme Court who ruled in favor of her second husband, the dapper Cal Williams. Select this link for a summary of that historic case.

The following is a lineage that includes Elvira Owens and her Great Great Great Grandson, Kyle Sauvage, whose birthdays are this week.

• Edmond Owens Jr., (1795-1864) who married Anna Phelps (1787-1861)
• Peyton Owens (1826-1872) who married Mary Wheeler (1825-1871)
• Elvira Owens (1865-1931) who married William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915)
• William Shepard (1888-1976) who married Bura Davis (1896-1986)
• Eugene Shepard (1921-2003) who married Maida Gower (b. 1924)
• Gary Shepard (b. 1946) who married Cindy Dillon (b. 1954)
• Kelly Shepard (b. 1973) who married James Sauvage (b. 1971)
• Kyle Sauvage (b. 2004)

- - -
Steve Shepard

Spring Time Celebrations! May 29, 2015

The only thing sweeter than union is reunion.

~Kathleen McGowan

Family Reunion in August. Don't forget to make your plans for our Family Reunion this summer on August 22, 2015 at the home of Patrick and Nicole Haw Shepard of Bothell, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. Watch future posts of this blog for more information about the reunion.

Mike Harrell. Today, May 29, is the birthday of my cousin Mike Harrell of Zionsville, Indiana. Mike and his wife Carole have lived in Indiana since moving there from Northern California a couple of years ago. Mike, originally from San Diego, is the son of Vicky Gower Johnston of Oak Harbor, Washington. Mike is the 9th of the 12 grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower to reach that special milestone of 60. 

The first picture shows Indianapolis Colts fans Mike Harrell on the left. The lovely eyes on the right belong to Mike's wife Carole, also a big time Colts fan. Best wishes to Mike for a great birthday!

Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz. This coming Monday, June 1, is the anniversary of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz of San Diego. Jeremy is the grandson of Thelma Shepard Boyd and the son of Kim Boyd Clark. Jeremy and Desiree are the parents of 5 wonderful children. Together they make up the largest single family among us. Congratulations and best wishes to Jeremy and Desiree for a wonderful 13th wedding anniversary!

The second picture shows anniversary celebrants Jeremy on the right with his wife Desiree in front of him. Next to them is mom Kim Boyd Clark, and on the far left is grandmother Thelma Shepard Boyd. This picture was taken a few months ago when the family was all together in San Diego visiting the Point Loma Tide Pools.

Gary and Cindy Shepard. This coming Tuesday, June 2 is the 36th wedding annversary of my brother Gary Shepard and his wife Cindy Dillon Shepard. They have lived in Western Washington, in the Whidbey Island town of Oak Harbor now for over 10 years. They are both originally from Southern California, where they lived until moving to Washington. Best wishes to Gary and Cindy on 36 years of married life. 

The third picture shows Gary and Cindy in a picture taken back in 1987 when they were on vacation in Northern California in the historic goldrush town of Columbia. With them in their nephew Nathan Shepard. Best wishes to Gary and Cindy for a wonderful anniversary and many more to come!

This coming Tuesday is also the anniversary of my grandparents William Shepard and Bura Davis Shepard. I will write more about them in my next post as we celebrate their 100th Wedding Anniversary.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Springing Into Spring, March 23, 2015

The most beautiful things in life

are not things at all,

but moments in time —

moments that we know will flow on.

~Patricia Adams Farmer

Greetings to all of you as spring begins and winter has passed.

Happy Anniversary! Happy 15th Wedding Anniversary this past weekend to my cousin Michael Harrell and his wife Carole of Zionsville, Indiana. (Yes, Virginia, there really is a Zionsville!) Mike is the older son of Vicki Gower Johnston of Oak Harbor, Washington. Best wishes to Mike and Carole for many more happy years together!

Happy Birthday today to my brother Gary Shepard, the first born of our parents Maida Gower Shepard and our late father Eugene Shepard. Gary was born in San Diego way back before I was born. Okay... just two years before I was born. We were among the very first in our family in what has become known as the "baby boom" generation. Gary was raised in San Diego and lived virtually his entire life in our fair community until he retired 12 years ago and moved to Oak Harbor, Washington. 

He and his wife Cindy live in Oak Harbor today, not far from our mom Maida Shepard and other family members in Anacortes, Washington. Happy Birthday to Gary on this last birthday that begins with a "6". The first picture shows Gary with his wife Cindy and our mother Maida. This picture was taken last summer in Anacortes, Washington by Steven Paul Shepard.

Happy Birthday Preslea! This coming Thursday is the 5th Birthday of our oldest grandchild Preslea Maida Shepard who lives just a stone's throw down the hill from us here in the San Carlos community of San Diego. She lives with her mom and dad, Nathan and Chenda Shepard, as well as her brothers Logan and William, plus an assortment of Koi and gold fish.

The following photo presentation celebrates Preslea's 5th year and the many activities and special moments in her young life: at home, at church, on vacation, and with friends and family. Best wishes to Preslea for a wonderful birthday!



          

- - -
Steve Shepard 

Happy Ground Hog Day! Feb 2, 2015

The farther backward you can look,

the farther forward you can see.

~Winston Churchill

Happy Ground Hog Day! Today also happens to be the birthday of Cindy Dillon Shepard, the wife of my brother Gary Shepard of Oak Harbor, Washington. Cindy has been in our family now for over 35 years, ever since she and Gary were married in Southern California in 1979. They have lived in western Washington ever since Gary retired in San Diego in 2003. Best wishes to Cindy for a very special birthday!

The first picture shows Cindy with husband Gary on the left, and me and Cindy on the right. This picture was taken last summer in Anacortes, Washington. Thanks to nephew Steven Paul Shepard for taking this picture.

William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915). Today is also the birthday of my Great Grandfather William Elmer Shepard. William Elmer lived a very interesting life. Born during the Civil War, his father William Shepard (1835-1862) died from a war wound when young William Elmer was but a few months old. His mother remarried into a family where William Elmer felt unwelcome. He ran away from his mother and his step family as a teen and never looked back.

William Elmer was a man of great adventures, having struck out on his own as a teenager and ventured as a free spirit westward across 19th Century mid-America. After a few vagabond years, he found a wife in Illinois, and some years later made a home with Elvira Owens and their two children in Oklahoma where he lived out the rest of his life. 

100 years ago today, when living in Beaver County, Oklahoma, William Elmer celebrated his 53rd and last birthday, although it could not have been much of a celebration. He was deathly ill and would not live but another two weeks. He had been diagnosed with untreatable stomach cancer the previous fall.

He probably gifted his son, my grandfather William Shepard, with a spirit of adventure and wanderlust, as well as the complementary gift of story telling.

The second picture shows William Elmer's headstone in the Sophia Cemetery in Beaver County, Oklahoma. Shown below is the entrance to this small country cemetery where a number of our Shepard and Davis ancestors are buried.

I never knew William Elmer Shepard, obviously. But I did know his son quite well, and I knew his Shepard grandsons very well, my father being one of them. And I often wonder how much of William Elmer's personality was inherited by his offspring, in particular how much of his understanding of fatherhood and manhood took root in them. It is difficult to determine with any precision of course, but it is worth pondering to what extent, beyond his DNA, this fatherless vagabond had an effect on future generations of men, especially the 7 of us who are his great grandsons (Rex Russell, me, Gary, Darrell and Russell Shepard, Dane Shepard, and Darren Boyd).

William Elmer's death 100 years ago in February, 1915 occurred during a time of incredible change for his family. His wife Elvira was just 49 years old with a lot of life ahead of her. Their daughter Sadie Shepard Pruett and her husband Levi Pruett had 3 small children and another one yet to be born.

Their son William Shepard had recently fallen in love with the teenager Bura Davis and they were waiting for the best opportunity to marry. When William Elmer died in February, the time was not right for a family celebration. Just a few months later, however, on June 2, William and Bura did marry and the grieving son set out on the greatest adventure of his life, his marriage to Bura Davis. After the death of his father, it was a well deserved turning point for him and the rest of his family.
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Steve Shepard

More Cars and More Stories, July 17, 2014

When we try to pick out anything by itself,

we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.

~John Muir

Remembering Manuel Aquiningoc (1961-1992). This Saturday, July 19, would have been the 43rd birthday of Manuel Aquiningoc, late husband of my niece Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc of Weatherford, Texas. His untimely and tragic death in San Diego occurred 22 summers ago in 1992.  Manuel is still warmly remembered today by those who knew him, especially his wife Kerri and his daughters Lyndsey and Mandi.

The first picture shows Manuel (left) with his wife Kerri (in front) and Kerri's dad Gary Shepard (right) and Gary's wife Cindy (in the middle) holding Lyndsey. This picture was taken in 1991 in front of the Harris home on Burgundy Street in San Diego. 

More Cars and the Stories They Tell. Last summer I spent a few weeks in a different kind of family story telling which I titled "Cars and the Stories They Tell." I considered various automobiles that were significant in the life of family members in the first half of the 20th century. I would like to pick up that same theme and look at the second half of the 20th century.

A 1952 Ford Country Sedan was our family's station wagon for several years when we lived in the Point Loma community of San Diego in the mid-1950s. At that particular time the Country Sedan was a common vehicle for modest working class families like ours. It was something of a step down from the big flashy Buicks of my uncle Hank Gower, or even the stylish Mercury Medalist of my Shepard Grandparents. But in its own way our Ford was something of a classic. Here's a website that tells you more about this special car.

The second picture gives you a pretty good view of our 1952 Ford Country Sedan in the driveway of our home on Rosecrans Street in Point Loma. Taken in June of 1958 this picture also shows my siblings Linda and Darrell Shepard, who at the time were the two youngest children of Maida and Eugene Shepard. Barbara would be born the following year, and Russell three years after that.

Our station wagon was a light brown vehicle with white sidewall tires, a V8 engine, three rows of seats, but not a single seat belt. It was the only car we had and it took us everywhere, including to Church each Sunday morning on El Cajon Blvd. Sadly this Ford was the instrument of death for the family puppy when mom accidentally ran over it as she backed out of the garage one hurried morning. Despite that, it was a memorable vehicle for us for several years and served us well. As I recall, it was even the primary vehicle used in moving our family to our first purchased home on Armstrong Street in 1959. I remember going on several family vacations in it, usually with dad's homemade, one wheel, wooden trailer being pulled behind, full of camping gear and other traveling needs for a family of 6.

Especially memorable was one particular vacation in the late 1950s when Dad, Grandad, my older brother Gary and I used it to go camping in Sequoia National Park, a few hundred miles north of San Diego in Central California. We encountered a thieving bear on that trip which formed the grist for tales that Dad and Grandad told and retold (and probably embellished!) for many years. The hungry bear came into our camp in the middle of the night, rummaging through our food bin and awakening Dad. He frantically turned on the Ford's lights and honked its horn to scare the furry thief away. Through it all Grandad slept peacefully and, much to his chagrin, had to be told of the night's events the following morning.

On the way out of the mountains, as our station wagon carried us down Highway 198 into the San Joaquin Valley we descended a long steep grade and the Ford's brakes began to fail. I don't ever remember Dad and Grandad being as worried as they were that day, with the smell of burning brakes in the air. Carefully using the emergency brake as well as the foot brake, Dad negotiated the grade and we made it to the flatlands safely, breathing a sigh of relief. At least Dad and Grandad did. Gary and I weren't worried a bit and thought it was a great adventure. The four of us returned to San Diego, none the worse for wear, grateful for Dad's prowess, and appreciative of that '52 Ford that carried us safely home.
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Steve Shepard

James Brooks Davis and Descendants, June 1, 2014

I note the obvious differences

between each sort and type,

but we are more alike, my friends,

than we are unalike.

~Maya Angelou

The Birthday of James Brooks Davis. Tomorrow is the anniversary of the birth of my Great Grandfather James Brooks Davis, who was born outside Spencer, Indiana on June 2, 1870 -- 144 years ago.

James' grandparents, Alex and Jane Davis, had migrated from Ohio to Owen County, Indiana about 1850 and were the first of our Davis ancestors to settle there. James' father Charles, a young child when his family left Ohio, met a young Indiana native as a teenager by the name of Malinda Wright, and eventually married her in Owen County in 1869. The following spring, baby James Brooks arrived and became the first Davis child to be born a Hoosier.

James was raised near Spencer, Indiana and at 25 years old married another native Indianan, Callie Spear, on New Year's Day 1896. In the first 12 years of their life together they had 7 children, their oldest being my grandmother Bura Davis. Their other children were Lawrence, Myra, Winona, Jesse, Esther and Marjorie. The first picture from 1908 shows James surrounded by 4 of their daughters, including their youngest, Marjorie, in his lap.

In March, 1913, James and Callie uprooted their family of 9 -- all of whom had lived their entire lives in Owen County, Indiana -- and moved them all to "the land of opportunity", the panhandle of Oklahoma. At the time their children ranged in age from 4 to 16 years old. They settled in Beaver County and joined the ranks of hard working farming families on the Oklahoma frontier.

A few of the descendants of James and Callie still live in Beaver County today. Over the last century since the family settled in Oklahoma, however, most of them have moved away and today live elsewhere in Oklahoma or in places like Washington, California, Missouri and Texas. In Sophia Cemetery in Beaver County James Brooks Davis is laid to rest alongside his wife Callie. Select this link to visit their grave online.

The Anniversary of William and Bura Davis Shepard. 100 years ago this year -- shortly after moving from Indiana -- James and Callie's oldest daughter Bura got to know another recent immigrant to Oklahoma by the name of William Shepard. The following spring Will and Bura decided to marry. Because of the high regard in which she held her father, James' 45th birthday, June 2, 1915, seemed the best day to tie the knot. So on Wednesday, June 2, after a very rainy spring in the panhandle, 18 year old Bura and 26 year old William got into his new Model T Ford, braved the mud mired roads and ventured out to the country home of their Church of Christ preacher and the deed was done. 

It's been 99 years since Will and Bura were married, but their love and devotion remains a great influence on those of us who knew them. The top couple in the tryptich on the right is William and Bura in San Diego in 1975, the year they celebrated 60 years of marriage. William died the following year, and Bura 10 years after that.

The Anniversary of Gary and Cindy Shepard. One of the Great Grandchildren of James Brooks Davis, my brother Gary Shepard, also chose June 2 as the wedding day for him and his bride Cindy. On Saturday, June 2, 1979 -- 35 year ago tomorrow -- Gary married Cindy Ann Dillon at the home of me and my wife Cindy in Los Alamitos, California, in a small beautiful ceremony attended by a few friends. Happy Anniversary and best wishes to Gary and Cindy! The middle couple on the right is Gary and Cindy on their wedding day in 1979.

The Anniversary of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz. Today, June 1, is the anniversary of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz of Blue Springs, Missouri. Jeremy is one of the Great Great Grandchildren of James and Callie Davis and the oldest grandchild of Thelma Shepard Boyd. He is the first born of Kim Boyd Clark. Jeremy and Desiree were married when they were living here in San Diego 12 years and 5 children ago. The bottom couple on the right is Desiree and Jeremy. Best wishes and happy anniversary to them!

Father's Day is in two weeks. If you have a picture of your father or grandfather that you would like me to include in my upcoming Father's Day photo presentation, please send it my way.
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Steve Shepard

Happy Ground Hog Day! February 2, 2014

The first half of our lives

is ruined by our parents,

the second half by our children.
~Clarence Darrow

Happy Ground Hog Day! And Happy Birthday to my sister-in-law Cindy Dillon Shepard. A long time resident of San Diego, she has lived for the last 11 years in Oak Harbor, Washington with her husband, my brother Gary Shepard. Today is a milestone birthday for Cindy and we wish her the very best. Welcome to the delightful world of sexagenarians!

The first picture shows Cindy with her daughter Michele McGauran and her husband Gary on the left. This picture was taken in San Diego in 1992 at a family reunion.

William Elmer Shepard. My Great Grandfather William Elmer Shepard was born on this day 152 years ago in Wabash, Indiana during the Civil War. His father was away in the War at the time and tragically never made it home to see his new son.

As a young man William Elmer made his way to Madison County, Illinois where he met the woman who would become his wife, Elvira Owens. With two children in tow, including a teenage son William Shepard (who would later become my grandfather) William Elmer and Elvira moved in 1905 to the Oklahoma panhandle where they lived the rest of their lives. They are both buried in Sophia Cemetery in Beaver County, Oklahoma. He died in 1915; she in 1931.

The second picture shows my father Eugene William Shepard (1921-2003) with his hand on the headstone of his grandfather William Elmer Shepard. The marker on the right is the grave of William Elmer's wife Elvira Owens Shepard, who is buried with her second husband Cal Williams. Also in this picture is my dad's aunt, Esther Davis Jenkins (1905-1997). This picture was taken when dad and I made a trip from California to Oklahoma to visit family in the summer of 1989.

William Elmer's headstone is interesting for a couple of reasons. This type of marker, which looks like a section of a tree trunk, was not uncommon. Without branches, it suggests a life cut short, which may have been its meaning here, since William Elmer died at just 53 years old. It may also indicate that William was member of Woodmen of the World, a fraternal organization whose members, until the late 1920s, regularly were buried with this style headstone.

It was not the least expensive marker the family could have placed here, suggesting that William Elmer was a man of some means when he died. He preceeded his wife Elvira in death by 16 years, and left her a handsome, though modest inheritance. When she died, there was a family squabble over who would inherit the estate, a case of some notoriety which eventually was heard by the Oklahoma Supreme Court before being settled. You can read about it here.
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Steve Shepard