Happy Father's Day Weekend! June 18, 2022

I believe that what we become

depends on what our fathers

teach us at odd moments,

when they aren't trying to teach us.

~Umberto Eco

On this weekend of Father's Day, I am sharing with you a post from 6 years ago. A lot has happened in our family and in our respective lives in the past few years ago. The challenges we have faced and the difficulties we have encountered were many. This post reminds us of the importance of being a part of our family. The fathers in our family are still to be thanked and honored for what they do for us. Thank God for fathers past and present! 

I am mindful of, and grateful for, two men in particular: my own father and the father of our grandchildren. My dad Eugene Shepard died in 2003 but lived a wonderful life and left a great legacy of family love and devotion. Our son Nathan is an outstanding father who makes us very proud on this weekend to honor all the men who hold our family together.

This first picture shows my dad Eugene Shepard and our son Nathan Shepard in 1996 in Anacortes, Washington. They are just two of the many fathers that are a part of our diverse and changing family.

Below is a slide show honoring all the fathers past and present in our Shepard, Gower, Harris and other families. Pictured are young fathers, old fathers, dads from long ago and dads who are very new to the task. At least one is a father of five kids, while others are fathers of just one or two. Some are steady and hard working, others are just thrilled at the very idea of being dads. Some have been at it for many years and now revel in the joy of "grandfatherhood", while others are still learning how to be the best dad they can. Some do a great job of being step dads, while others face unique and daunting parental challenges.  

My brother Gary of Oak Harbor, Washington has been a father since 1968, while my late cousin Hershell Gower of Bullhead City, Arizona, who died during Covid two years ago, had been a father since 1967. That's 49 years! Congratulations to them.

All the fathers pictured here are to be thanked for their hard work and the loving guidance they give their kids. Click on the arrow below to start the Father's Day video.



Happy Father's Day to all of you who have taken on the great task of being a dad!
- - -
Steve Shepard

A Day for Remembering, June 2, 2019

True love stories never have endings. 

~Richard Bach

Greetings to all of you from San Diego where the weather is mild and the living is easy! This weekend is a time to remember a number of significant events in our family history.

Paula Harris (right) with son Joe Paul and daughter Cindy

Paula Hicks Harris (1923-2018). Today, June 2, is the first anniversary of the death of Cindy's mom Paula Harris. In the last year, life has obviously been very different around our home here on Burgundy Street in the Allied Gardens Community of San Diego. This was Paula's home for 61 years until she passed away last year a few weeks short of her 95th birthday. She and husband Joe Harris bought this home in 1957 when they were a young couple with two children in Elementary School. No matter how many changes we make to this long time Harris family house, the loving, caring spirit of this wonderful couple will always be present. And for that we will ever be grateful. This first family picture shows Paula with her children Joe Paul and Cindy. It was taken back in the 1960s.

Happy 40th Anniversary to my brother Gary Shepard and his wife Cindy of Oak Harbor, Washington. They were married in a garden wedding on June 2, 1979 at our home in Los Alamitos, California. My wife Cindy and I and our 2 year old son Nathan were living in Los Alamitos at the time. Gary and his fiancé Cindy and some friends of theirs came from San Diego to our home in Orange County to be married. It was a pleasant day for the beautiful ceremony that got their married life started. It has been a great 40 years for them, most of which has been spent living in the San Diego area. For the last 16 years however they have lived in Oak Harbor, Washington, just a short drive from where our mother Maida Shepard lives in Anacortes, Washington. Best wishes to Gary and Cindy for many more happy years together!

3 Happy Couples: from top, 

William and Bura Shepard

Cindy and Gary Shepard

Desiree and Jeremy Ortiz

Remembering My Shepard Grandparents. This weekend is also a time to celebrate the anniversary of my late Grandparents William Shepard and Bura Davis Shepard who were married 104 years ago on June 2, 1915 in Beaver County, Oklahoma. My grandparents will always be remembered as the first family among us Shepards to live in Southern California when they moved from a tiny town in dusty Southeast Colorado to the bustling Navy town of San Diego in the fall of 1940. For 79 years now descendants of theirs have lived here in San Diego.

Remembering James Brooks Davis (1870-1928). My Grandparents William Shepard and Bura Davis were married on the birthday of Bura's father James Brooks Davis who was born June 2, 1870. What a special way for James to celebrate his 45th birthday, by witnessing the wedding of his oldest child, Bura, who was just an 18 year old teenager at the time. She was marrying the son of their Shepard neighbors who were fellow members of the South Flat Church of Christ in the dusty farming community of Beaver County, Oklahoma. It was the first wedding of the 7 children of James and Callie Davis and must have been a wonderful time of celebration for this close knit Davis family.

Speaking of James Brooks Davis, I have recently learned of some newly available information about the pre-Revolutionary War ancestors of James Brooks Davis' mother Malinda Wright Davis. In coming weeks I will share in this blog about James' 3X Great Grandmother Rachel Wells Wright. She was a rebel-rousing, East Coast Quaker preacher who made history in the Society of Friends in the 18th century. It is a compelling story that I look forward to sharing with you.

Happy 17th Anniversary Jeremy and Desiree. This weekend Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz are celebrating their 17th wedding anniversary. They were married June 1, 2002 here in San Diego. Jeremy is the son of my cousin Kim Boyd Clark, and the grandson of my aunt Thelma Shepard Boyd. Best wishes to Jeremy and Desiree and their family for a great anniversary!

This is a special weekend to remember these and other important events in the life of our larger family. It is a time to celebrate, to remember and to honor these folks who have meant so much to us for many years.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Celebrating My Grandparents, June 2, 2018

A wedding anniversary is the celebration

of love, trust, partnership, tolerance and tenacity.

The order varies for any given year.

Paul Sweeny

William and Bura. 103 years ago today my grandparents William Shepard and Bura Emerald Davis were married in Beaver County, Oklahoma. She was a teen of 18; he was 8 years older. They were both from farming families who had migrated a few years earlier from Indiana and Illinois. They went on to have 4 children, 12 grandchildren, and a large assortment of other descendants who today are scattered around the Western US. 

William and Bura Shepard, 1950s San Diego

Their youngest child, Thelma Shepard Boyd is the last surviving member of the original family. She lives with her daughter and husband Kim and Jeff Clark who are traveling the U.S. these days in their RV. Will and Bura's 2 youngest descendants, both born in 2015, are Camryn Slaughter (daughter of Courtney Boyd Slaughter) of San Diego, and Finley Shepard (daughter of Chris Shepard) of Seattle.

Will and Bura were married in the spring of 1915 in the country home of their Church's minister in rural Beaver County, Oklahoma. In 1928 they moved their family to Southeast Colorado, then on to San Diego in 1940 where they lived the largest part of their lives. I am grateful for these two who are an important part of our rich family history. It was 103 years ago that they were married but their influence continues to be felt every day, in numerous obvious and subtle ways.

Anacortes Shepard Family, Memorial Day 2018

Gary and Cindy. Today is also the wedding anniversary of my brother Gary and his wife Cindy Ann Shepard, of Oak Harbor, Washington. They were married 39 years ago in the backyard of our home in Los Alamitos, California. I spent last weekend with family in Washington and caught up with a number of my relatives in Western Washington, included Gary and Cindy. Our Memorial Day gathering was an enjoyable time of being with family and some family friends at the Anacortes home of our mother Maida Shepard.

This second picture was taken last Monday and shows Gary and Cindy, along with the others who enjoyed our afternoon Barbeque. Seated in the middle of this picture is our mother Maida Gower Shepard. At 93 she is the senior member of our Gower and Shepard families. Behind her is her oldest son Gary, with his wife Cindy kneeling on the left. Kneeling on the right is granddaughter Linda. Across the back, right to left, are me, Russell, Steven Paul, Pam, Barbara, and family friends Vicki and Virgil.

Also worthy of note as this month of June commences, are the following:

• Today is the 148th anniversary of the birth of James Brooks Davis (1870-1928), father of my grandmother Bura Davis Shepard. On his 45th birthday his oldest daughter Bura was married.
• Yesterday was the 16th wedding anniversary of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz. Jeremy is the great grandson of Will and Bura Shepard.
• This past Tuesday was the 63rd birthday of my cousin Michael Harrell, grandchild of Leroy and Nola Gower and oldest son of Vicki Gower Johnston. Michael and wife Carole live in Tokyo and would love to welcome any of us if we happen to be visiting Japan. 

Best wishes to all these folks as they celebrate these important milestones!

- - -

Steve Shepard

Special Birthdays, July 28, 2017

There are two great days in a person's life - 

the day we are born and the day we discover why.

~William Barclay

Today we celebrate three big birthdays in our family: Jeff Clark, Barbara Shepard and William Quincy Shepard.

Jeff Clark is the husband of my cousin Kim Boyd Clark. Kim and Jeff live in Grain Valley, Missouri with Kim's mom Thelma Boyd. Best wishes to Jeff for a very happy birthday!

This first picture shows Jeff yesterday at the Kansas City Zoo, where he was celebrating his birthday a day early. Also pictured are two of his grandsons Dominic and Isaac Ortiz.

My sister Barbara Shepard also has a birthday today and lives with our mom Maida Shepard in Anacortes, Washington. Barb is originally from San Diego and spent the first 19 years of her life there, but has lived in Western Washington since 1978. Special birthday wishes to Barbara!

She stays busy working for Safeway in Anacortes, where she has been employed for over 10 years. This second picture shows Barb with our brother Gary who together are the exceptional team that helps mom's with her daily care at her home on Wildwood Lane. 

This is also the birthday of our youngest grandson William Shepard, who turns 5 years old today. Born in San Francisco, William lives with his family in the San Carlos community of San Diego. He is part of a great tradition of people in our Shepard family with the name William, as either a first or a middle name. His father has the middle name William as did his Great Grandfather Eugene Shepard, while at least three other ancestors of his had the name William Shepard, dating back to the time of the Civil War.




The YouTube video above captures some moments from the last year in William's life. It is set to the music of Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick, singing True Colors. William's world is about to change big time because he will start Elementary school one month from today.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Spring Celebrations, May 21, 2017

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

   and do not rely on your own insight.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

   and he will make straight your paths.

Proverbs 3.5-6

Hello family and friends!

Nathan and Kaylan

Congratulations to Kaylan Shepard on her graduation from Shepard High School this week. She plans to attend Florida College in Temple Terrace, Florida in the fall. The quote at the top of this post accompanied Kaylan's graduation notice. 

Her brother Nathan Shepard graduated from Florida College earlier this month. Best wishes to both Kaylan and Nathan, and the proud parents of both graduates, my cousin Dane Shepard and his wife Cindy of Blanchard, Oklahoma!

The first picture shows both graduates: Nathan Shepard with his sister Kaylan.

Are there others in our family who are graduating this spring? I would be glad to hear about you and share your graduation news with everyone. Best wishes to all of you!

Elmer James Shepard in the 1930s

Yesterday, May 20, was the 99th anniversary of the birth of my uncle Elmer Shepard (1918-2012), the late grandfather of Nathan and Kaylan. Elmer was the second child of William and Bura Davis Shepard and was a part of that family of 9 who moved from Southeast Colorado to San Diego in 1940. They began the Shepard presence here in Southern California that has continued now for 77 years.

Remembering Elmer brings to mind the fact that 99 years ago, my grandparents William and Bura Shepard were a young married couple with a one year old, Pauline, and now a second child, Elmer. They were making the most of their lives in the dusty rural farm land of Beaver County, Oklahoma. 

Jason Shepard with niece Lyndsey

The second picture shows Elmer Shepard as a young man, in his farming overalls, sitting on a horse. This picture was taken sometime in the 1930s probably on the farm where the family lived.

When Elmer was born, the Shepards had been in Oklahoma a little more than 10 years, while Bura and her Davis kinfolk had been in Oklahoma barely 4 years. They were relative newcomers to the state, having moved from Illinois and Indiana, respectively. Yet twenty-somethings William and Bura were doing their best with their young family and their high hopes to establish some roots in a difficult time.

Now, 99 years later, while some of Will and Bura's descendants still live in San Diego, others have returned to Oklahoma, the land of their roots, while still others have moved on to the Northwest, the Midwest, Texas and elsewhere.

Ashlyn Ortiz on left with her siblings

Two other members of our family, whose roots happen to be in San Diego, are to be celebrated. Among those having birthdays this past week are Jason Shepard of Fort Worth, Texas who turned 45 on Thursday. Jason, the son of my brother Gary Shepard and Jackie Perry, is pictured above with his niece Lyndsey Aquiningoc. This picture was taken last fall in Weatherford, Texas.

Also with a birthday this past week is Ashlyn Ortiz of El Cajon, California, who turned 12 on Friday. Ashlyn is the daughter of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz and the grandchild of my cousin Kim Clark. The final picture, taken overlooking the Pacific Ocean, shows Ashlyn, on the left in the picture, with her siblings Dominic, Isaac, Damian and Ciara.
- - -
Steve Shepard

The Day The Lord Created Hope, April 3, 2017

The day the Lord created hope

was probably the same day

he created Spring.

~Bernard Williams

Nathan Shepard's Birthday. Today, April 3, is the birthday of our son Nathan Shepard, who was born in San Diego on this day 40 years ago! He lives today in San Diego and works for Wells Fargo Bank. He is the father of Preslea, Logan and William. 





For Nate's birthday this year I decided to do something a little different photo-wise. Since daughter Preslea's birthday was just 8 days ago, the above YouTube photo presentation consists entirely of pictures of Nathan and Preslea, which span the last 7 years. Best wishes to Nathan for a very happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Ciara! Tomorrow, April 4 is the birthday of Ciara Ortiz. Ciara is the oldest of the 5 children of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz of El Cajon, California. She is also the oldest grandchild of my cousin Kim Boyd Clark who lives with husband Jeff in Grain Valley, Missouri.

This second picture was taken several months ago and shows birthday girl Ciara Ortiz on the right with her younger sister Ashlyn. Best wishes for a very happy 15th birthday to Ciara and her entire family as they celebrate with her!

Birthday wishes to Jimmie Gower. April 4 is also the birthday of my cousin Jimmie Gower. I have not been in touch with Jimmie much in recent years but I did have a conversation with him not long ago. He and his wife Cheryl are doing well and still happily retired in Fort Mojave, Arizona on the Colorado River, not far from his older brother Hershell Gower who lives in nearby Bullhead City. Jim was born in San Diego in 1944 and was raised here. He is the second of the 12 grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower. Best wishes to Jim for a very happy birthday.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Some January Celebrations, January 18, 2017

Wake up! Wake up to the gift 

that life presents us, 

now and in every moment.  

Any day above ground is a glorious day, 

and we have that gift now. 

~Rabbi Bradley Artson

Happy Anniversary! Today, January 18, is the wedding anniversary of my cousin Kim Boyd Clark and her husband Jeff Clark who were married 10 years ago in La Jolla, California but who have lived in Missouri ever since. They live outside Blue Springs in the town of Grain Valley, Missouri with Kim's mom Thelma Boyd.

Jeff: 10 years ago, overlooking the ocean at La Jolla, she said "I do." We have faced many challenges over those years. I don't know where I would be now if you had said no. Each day is a blessing to have you as my wife and best friend. I can hardly wait to see what is in store for the rest of my life because of you. I love you more each day!

A few days ago Kim wrote me to say: We are in Branson, Missouri at our time-share this cold winter weather weekend, but we're having fun. We have a nice fireplace. It is hard to believe 10 years has passed so fast.

Best wishes to Kim and Jeff for a very happy anniversary!

Happy Birthday Dane and Nathan. This Saturday, January 21, is the birthday of another cousin of mine, Dane Shepard, who lives in Blanchard, Oklahoma with wife Cindy and daughter Kaylan Shepard. Saturday is also the birthday of their son Nathan Ross Shepard who is a student at Florida College.

Nathan: Hello cousin Steve! I would like to wish all the Shepard family a happy year! I hope to graduate with my BS in Business Administration this April. I will also be traveling to Austria this summer for a choral festival with my school. Many exciting opportunities are coming and I'm thankful for all the blessings I have and have to look forward too! Hope you are doing well! It's been quite a while since I've been to a family reunion. It would be nice to see everyone again.

This second picture shows Dane and Nathan (on the left) with Cindy and Kaylan. Best wishes to our Oklahoma Shepards as they celebrate Dane and Nathan's birthdays!

The Death of a Gentle Giant. This final picture shows one of the Giant Sequoias of Calaveras Big Trees State Park in Northern California, with three of our family members in front of it: Maida Shepard, Jane Clark Brock and Barbara Shepard. It was taken in 2004 when a group of women among us (The "Yayas") spent a week together at our home in the mountains of Northern California, located just a few miles from where this picture was taken.

Named the "Pioneer Cabin Tree", it was estimated to be over 1,200 years old when it toppled over early last week during a winter storm. It came down partially because it had been weakened in the 1880s when they thoughtlessly carved out a passage way through the middle of this gentle giant. At over a thousand years old, its demise is a tragic loss of historical proportions. But it puts in perspective our family's history which we do well to trace back maybe 200 years.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Caroline Spear Davis (1865-1951), November 29, 2016

Memories, even bittersweet ones,

are better than nothing.

~Jennifer Armentrout

Remembering Caroline Spear Davis (1865-1951). Today is the 151st anniversary of the birth of Caroline Spear Davis of Owen County, Indiana. She is the mother of my Grandmother Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986). Her 85 years spanned a amazing time in history, from the American Civil War to the post WWII years.

The 6 image composite, below on the right, shows Callie at 6 different stages of her life. Across the top are three images from the time when she lived in Indiana: in about 1880 as a young woman, in 1896 as a 30 year old bride, and then in 1908 as a mother of 7 children. Across the bottom are three images from when she lived in Oklahoma: in 1922 as a Grandmother with one of her grandchildren Bernard Kilpatrick; in 1936 as a Great Grandmother with one of her great grandchildren Rex Russell; and in 1947 just a few years before the end of her life.

Caroline (or "Callie" as she was known) is our connection to our Spear family roots, an interesting and very significant part of our family heritage. Callie's Great Grandfather James Spear (1768-1821) migrated to America from Ireland as a young man, and eventually settled in Eastern Ohio. Like our Davis ancestors (and countless other pioneering families), the Spears came from Eastern Ohio to Indiana in the 1850s. My GGG Grandparents Alexander and Jane Davis came from Ohio's Monroe County, while the widow Julian Pugh Spear (Callie's grandmother) came with her grown children from Ohio's Tuscarawas County. The Spears and the Davises settled about the same time in Morgan Township near Spencer, Indiana in the years just before the Civil War.

Whether the Spears and the Davises knew each other in Ohio before moving westward is unknown. We do know that both families settled very near each other in Indiana, and that both families were instrumental in establishing a small country church near Spencer, Indiana, the New Union Church of Christ. This suggests that when they migrated westward the Spears and the Davises brought with them their common church affiliation.

In Eastern Ohio in the mid-19th century, the most rapidly growing religious group was the Campbell-Stone Movement (aka the "Restoration Movement") which gave rise to the Churches of Christ, the Christian Church, and the Disciples of Christ. One curious historical tidbit I found shows that Andrew Spear (1806-1887), the brother of Callie's Grandfather Samuel Spear, is buried in the "Church of Christ Cemetery" in Washington County in Eastern Ohio. It is just one more indication that Callie Spear Davis' kinfolk in Ohio were Restoration Movement people. This suggests that our family's roots in the Campbell-Stone tradition in America go back to the early 19th century, and the very beginning of the Campbell-Stone tradition.

Another interesting bit of family history relating to Callie Spear Davis is the existence of an obscure little book by A.T. DeGroot titled "The Churches of Christ in Owen County, Indiana," published in 1935. In that book the author writes about the New Union Church of Christ (also called "the Christian Church at Union"), the congregation to which Callie Spear and her family belonged. It is also the congregation to which many family members of her husband James Davis belonged.

DeGroot's book contains numerous membership records from the period between 1866 and 1880. In those membership records are 11 people named Davis, and 28 people named Spear, most of them identifiable as kinfolk of ours. When Callie Spear married James Davis in 1896, it was the union of two church members whose families were founding members of the same small congregation in their rural community. The New Union Church was a viable congregation for 100 years until it closed in the fall of 1956.

A number of our Davis ancestors rest in the New Union Cemetery adjacent to where the New Union Church once stood, at the corner of Rattlesnake Rd and Shepard Patrick Road a few miles out of town. A number of our Spear relations rest in the Spear Cemetery, 5 miles northwest of the New Union Cemetery.

In 1913 Callie Spear Davis and her husband James Brooks Davis moved from Indiana and settled in Beaver County, Oklahoma with their 7 children. Callie and James lived the last years of their lives there and are buried in the Sophia Cemetery in Beaver County.

Happy Birthday Kim and Damian. Today is also the birthday of one of Callie Spear Davis' Great Grandaughters, my cousin Kim Boyd Clark. Kim is the daughter of my aunt Thelma Shepard Boyd. She and husband Jeff Clark live in Grain Valley, Missouri. 

Today also happens to be the birthday of Kim's grandson Damian Ortiz of San Diego. Damian is the son of Kim's son Jeremy Ortiz and his wife Desiree of El Cajon, California. Best wishes and happy birthday to Kim and Damian!

Thanks to Damian's mom Desiree for this picture of Kim and grandson Damian.
- - -
Steve Shepard 

Happy Thanksgiving, November 23, 2016

I am grateful for what I am and have.

My thanksgiving is perpetual.

~Henry David Thoreau

On this week of Thanksgiving 2016, I am grateful for three particular women in our extended family: My mother Maida Gower Shepard, and my two aunts Vicki Gower Johnston, and Thelma Shepard Boyd. That triad represents the senior members of my parents' generation in our family.

My aunt Thelma is the youngest of the three, and is the last remaining child of my grandparents William and Bura Davis Shepard. Born in Two Buttes, Colorado, she moved as a child to San Diego when the Shepards first settled here in 1940. She lives today in Grain Valley, Missouri with her daughter Kim Clark Boyd, who tells me: "She is doing fine. She loves car rides and goes everywhere we go. She still walks every day. I cook and she's the prep cook and dishwasher." Happy Thanksgiving and thank you to Thelma for blessing our Shepard family for 80 years!

The first picture, taken this past May, shows my aunt Thelma Boyd on the left, with fellow octogenarian Engelbert Humperdinck. (What? You don't know the famous Engelbert Humperdinck? Google him. Or better yet, Youtube him!) Also pictured are Thelma's daughter Kim and her husband Jeff Clark.


My aunt Vicki Gower Johnston is the youngest of the three children of my Grandparents Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower. Born in Okemah, Oklahoma she too came to San Diego as a child when our Gower family settled here in 1942. She lives today in Chandler, Arizona near her daughter Paula Harrell Tuzzolino, although she still longs for life in Oak Harbor, Washington where she lived for over 40 years, until a year ago. Happy Thanksgiving and much gratitude to Vicki for being an important part of our family.

This second picture shows my aunt Vicki back in 1995 when she was visiting in San Diego. This picture was taken by her sister Maida Shepard while they were having fun riding the Carousel in front of the San Diego zoo.

And I am very grateful for the senior most member of our family, my 92 year old mother Maida Gower Shepard who lives with her daughter Barbara in Anacortes, Washington. Born in Mountain View, Arkansas, Maida and husband Eugene raised a family of 6 children in San Diego before retiring to Washington State in 1978. Mom has made her home there now for nearly 40 years. 

I am especially grateful that mom is doing better after being hospitalized a week ago. As of this writing she is still in the hospital in nearby Mount Vernon, Washington, but is stable and hopefully will be going home later today. 

This third picture, taken in August, shows Maida on the right with her oldest son Gary and her daughter Barbara at her home on Wildwood Lane in Anacortes.

After re-reading the foregoing paragraphs, it dawned on me that the caregivers of the foregoing women also deserve our thanks. I am grateful for daughters in our family, like Paula, Kim and Barbara, who give so much of themselves to care for their aging mothers. It speaks well for the kind of family we are!

May all of you and your family have a happy Thanksgiving!
- - -
Steve Shepard

Summer Adventures, September 9, 2016

It's a smile, it's a kiss, it's a sip of wine 

... it's summertime!

~Kenny Chesney

Feeling Great About Turning 68. Today is my 68th birthday, a reminder to me that life slips by much faster than we ever imagined. I look forward to celebrating the day with Cindy, our son Nathan, and our 3 grandkids Preslea, Logan and William. 

This first picture was taken earlier this summer at the La Jolla's Children's Pool here in San Diego and shows me with William and Logan enjoying a day at the beach. 

Happy Birthday Kelly. Monday, September 12, is the birthday of my niece Kelly Shepard Sauvage, daughter of my brother Gary Shepard and Jackie Perry. Born and raised in San Diego, Kelly and husband James live today in Weatherford, Texas with their sons Nate and Kyle. Best wishes to Kelly on her birthday!

This second picture was taken last month when Kelly and the boys were visiting in Las Vegas. It shows Kelly with Nate on the left and Kyle on the right enjoying a moment in front of the Circus Circus Hotel.

Summer Slide Show. This summer has been an exciting time for many of us. Adventurous, difficult and exhilarating are also words that could accurately describe the events of recent months. The following is a slide show of various happy gatherings around our Shepard and Gower families this summer. They are scenes of graduations, sporting events, several birthdays, a few holiday gatherings, beach parties, pool parties, hiking trips, and one snake handler. These scenes are of family in Washington, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, San Diego, Northern California and elsewhere. Thanks to all of you who have shared summer fun pictures on Facebook. Our extended family, despite our trials and tribulations, is a fun loving bunch who knows how to enjoy each other!

This slide show is to the musical accompaniment of songs by Elijah Kelly.

Japan Here We Come. I received word recently from my cousin Mike Harrell who lives with his wife Carole in Zionsville, Indiana. He tells me that next month he and Carole are going to Tokyo, Japan for Mike's work for an extended period of time. He wants me to let everyone know that if any of us find our way to Japan, to be sure and contact them. They would love to welcome visitors -- especially family -- from the U.S.! You are welcome to contact me if you would like more details. Best wishes to Mike with this employment opportunity, and to both of them on this exciting move to Japan.

In his email to me, Mike added this fascinating historical note: When he was born in the 1950s his mom and dad, Carl and Vicki Gower Harrell, were living in Tokyo. Carl was in the U.S. Military and stationed there. Mike was born in a hospital just one block away from where his work office today is located.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Aaah Summer, August 25, 2016

Aaah, summer - 

that long anticipated stretch

of lazy, lingering days,

free of responsibility

and rife with possibility.

It's a time to hunt for insects and master handstands,

practice swimming strokes,

conquer trees, explore nooks and crannies,

and make new friends. 

~Darell Hammond

Greetings to all of you today from Anacortes, Washington. For most of us, summer is winding down and the events and responsibilities of fall are fast approaching. 

I am in Western Washington this week visiting for a few days with my mom Maida Shepard and family. The Anacortes family continues to adjust to the increasing needs that mom has now that she is approaching her 92nd birthday. Mom is still living in her home on Wildwood Lane just south of town and is doing very well, thanks to her kids and grandkids. Special thanks to her son Gary, her daughter Barbara and her grandson Steve, the latter two of whom live with her and care for her on a daily basis.

The first picture was taken just last night on Mom's front deck as the bright sun of late summer was setting over Puget Sound. It shows Maida Shepard in the middle with daughter Barbara Shepard on the left and me on the right.

Happy Birthday Amanda! Today, Aug 25, is the 33rd birthday of Amanda Ortiz Davis, daughter of Kim Boyd Clark and granddaughter of Thelma Shepard Boyd of Blue Springs, Missouri. Amanda and husband Justin Davis live in Wathena, Kansas. Best wishes to Amanda!

The second picture shows (Raiders fan!?) Amanda with smiling husband Justin in an image from earlier this year.


Happy Birthday Lyndsey Aquiningoc. This coming Monday, August 29 is the 26th birthday of Lyndsey Aquiningoc of Weatherford, Texas. Lyndsey was born in San Diego but has lived the last 18 years in Weatherford, Texas and thereabouts. 

Lyndsey is the older daughter of Kerri Aquiningoc and is the oldest grandchild of my brother Gary Shepard and Jackie Perry. Lyndsey is also the proud mother of 2 year old Karver Bearden. Best birthday wishes to Lyndsey!

This second picture shows Lyndsey with a couple of her friends, David and Harley, in a photo that was taken earlier this year in Granbury, Texas.

A Sign of the Times. I just noticed that all three pictures included in today's post are selfies. (Yes, even the first one.) I don't think that has ever happened in all the hundreds of posts of The Shepard's Crook. I suppose we can just chalk it up to the nature of picture taking these days. Part of me rues the fact that it often means photos are of lesser quality, though that is not always true. I should, however, be grateful (and I am) that it means there are more family pictures being taken, and being made available. Especially in summer with more daylight hours and happy times that long to be captured.
- - -
Steve Shepard

A Tangled Web We Weave, Aug 10, 2016

Oh, what a tangled web we weave...

~Walter Scott

Happy Birthday Heather Robson Cotten. Today, August 10, is the birthday of Heather Robson Cotten, daughter of Paula Tuzzolino and granddaughter of Vicki Gower Johnston. Heather is also one of the 14 Great Grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower.

Heather and husband Sean Cotten and their two daughters live in Austin, Texas. This first picture shows Heather with her family as they celebrated a family birthday last month. 

Heather said this on Facebook yesterday: My last day in my 30's and although it seems unfathomable that I'm turning 40, it has been a great decade! I was blessed with two beautiful children, graduated from college, started my career and flourished with an amazing company, celebrated many anniversaries with my amazing husband, took several vacations with my life long friends, grown closer to God, I'm in the best shape of my life and so much more! Bring it on 40's! I can't wait to see what milestones, adventures and blessings the next decade will bring!

Happy Birthday and best wishes to Heather and her family.

Happy Birthday Jeremy Ortiz. Friday, August 12, is the birthday of Jeremy Ortiz, son of Kim Boyd Clark and grandson of Thelma Shepard Boyd. He is one of the 21 Great Grandchildren of William and Bura Davis Shepard. 

Jeremy, his wife Desiree and their 5 children live in El Cajon, California just east of San Diego. This second picture, taken earlier this summer, shows Jeremy with his oldest son Damian.

Birthday greetings to Jeremy and best wishes to him and his family!

A Tangled Web. Why do the the two birthday people this week find themselves in this post of The Shepard's Crook? They probably don't know each other, they live several states apart, and were even born in different parts of the country. 

It's all about the Grandmothers.

Heather and Jeremy are Grandchildren of two of the senior members of our family: Vicki Gower Johnston of Chandler, Arizona and Thelma Shepard Boyd of Blue Springs, Missouri. 

Here's the untangling of the web: 71 years ago Melva Gower (now Vicki Johnston) and Thelma Shepard (last name now Boyd) were grade-school children who lived not far from each other in San Diego. 8 year old Thelma lived with her family on Albatross Street in the Hillcrest section of the city and was in 3rd grade. 11 year old Melva (Vicki) lived not far away on Arizona Street in North Park and was in 5th grade at Garfield Elementary. 

The two girls did not know each other until the spring of 1945 when Vicki's big sister, 20 year old Maida Gower, married Thelma's big brother, Navy-man Eugene Shepard. It was on a Thursday afternoon in late May, in a small intimate house wedding behind the El Cajon Blvd Church of Christ, that the Shepards and Gowers were forever united when Maida Gower and Eugene Shepard said their vows.

The girls Vicki and Thelma were probably in school when the wedding occurred, or they would have gladly attended. In the months and years following the wedding they must have had opportunities to meet during family gatherings or other events. Over the past 71 years both women have grown their own families and flourished in their own ways. Indeed four generations of descendants have been born, among whom are Heather and Jeremy. 

The third composite image shows Thelma on the left in 1953 with her nephew Dane Shepard, and Vicki on the right in 1955 with her son Michael.

I am pleased to claim Vicki and Thelma as aunts of mine, women who today are among the oldest members of the Gowers and the Shepards. They are both proud progenitors of large families, who are each represented well by Heather and by Jeremy, the two whose birthdays we celebrate.

Eugene Shepard (1921-2003). I am also thinking this week about my father Eugene Shepard, the late brother of the the aforementioned Thelma Shepard Boyd. My dad passed away 13 years ago this past Monday in Anacortes, Washington at 82 years old.
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Steve Shepard

More July Celebrations, July 28, 2016

How many tumbles must it take

before you learn to fly?

I'm going to help you spread your wings,

my universal child.

~Annie Lennox

Today, July 28, three birthdays are celebrated in our family: Jeff Clark, Barbara Shepard and William Quincy Shepard.

Jeff Clark is the husband of my cousin Kim Boyd Clark, who is one of the 12 grandchildren of William and Bura Shepard. Jeff and Kim live in Blue Springs, Missouri, near Kim's mom Thelma Shepard Boyd, and several of their family.

Kim posted the following on Facebook this morning in celebration of Jeff's big day: "Happy birthday to my hubby eating breakfast with Amanda Ortiz Davis then off to the airport heading to Texas to watch the Kansas City Royals play the Texas Rangers for Jeff Clark's birthday weekend. I have pain pills in tow and doctor approved this trip." Best wishes to Jeff for a very happy birthday celebration. Go Royals!

This first picture shows Jeff with his wife Kim on the left and Kim's mother Thelma Boyd on the right.

Barbara Shepard. This day is also the birthday of my sister Barbara Shepard. She is the fifth of the six children of Maida and the late Eugene Shepard. Barbara, like all her siblings, was born and raised in San Diego. For most of the last 38 years she has lived in Anacortes, Washington, where she is one of the primary caregivers of our mom Maida, in addition to being the friendliest check-out clerk at Safeway. 

She is celebrating her birthday by taking a trip to the big city with a friend to visit one of her favorite places: the Seattle "Experience Music Project" Museum. Best wishes to Barbara for a memorable birthday!

This second picture shows Barbara in the middle with me on the right and granddaughter Preslea on the left.

William Shepard. And finally, this day is also the birthday of our youngest grandson William Quincy Shepard, who is named after several William Shepards in our family, including his 4X Great Grandfather, Civil War soldier William Shepard (1835-1862), who I blogged about last week. Birthday boy William, the youngest son of Nathan and Chenda Shepard, lives in the San Carlos Community of San Diego with his family, including big brother Logan, and big sister Preslea. 

The following YouTube Slide Show, with scenes primarily from the last year, celebrates William's 4th birthday, and is set to the music of Annie Lennox.




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Steve Shepard

Generations Apart, One in Heart, June 12, 2016

If you look deeply into the palm of your hand,

you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors.

You are the continuation of each of these people.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Generations Apart, One in Heart. Four birthdays are celebrated this week in our larger family. I thought it appropriate to highlight their birthdays by including pictures of each birthday person with their grandparent, or in one case, with their grandchild. In all four pictures, the pairs are approximately the same age.

Emma Wilk and Beverly Russell Wilk. June 6, Monday of this past week, was the 11th birthday of Emma Beverly Jean Wilk, granddaughter of Beverly Russell Wilk (1939-1974). Emma and her mom Shannon Wilk live in Atchison, Kansas. 

Emma and Grandmother Beverly

In this first picture, Emma's image (left) was taken on her birthday earlier this week. On the right is her grandmother Beverly Russell in a picture that was taken in San Diego almost 70 years ago, in 1947. At the time of Beverly's photo she was about the same age that Emma is now.

Beryl Swinney Shepard and Kaylan Shepard. Yesterday, June 11, was the 93rd anniversary of the birth of my aunt Beryl Swinney Shepard (1923-1994), wife of Elmer Shepard, and mother of Dane and Joan Shepard. 

Kaylan and Grandmother Beryl

In the picture above, Beryl's image (on the right) is coupled with the image of her granddaughter Kaylan Shepard, daughter of Dane and Cindy Shepard of Blanchard, Oklahoma. Beryl, in military uniform, served during World War II, which is when this picture of her was taken, while Kaylan's picture was taken earlier this year. 

Scott Ortiz and Thelma Shepard Boyd. This coming Monday, June 13, is the 31st birthday of Scott Ortiz of El Cajon, California. He is the second son of Kim Boyd Clark and her late husband Gabe Ortiz.

Scott and Grandmother Thelma

This picture shows Scott on the left in an image from a picture taken earlier this month. The right half of this picture, taken in 1958, shows Scott's grandmother Thelma Shepard Boyd when she was about the same age that Scott is now and living in San Diego. Thelma lives today in Blue Springs, Missouri, not far from her daughter, and Scott's sister, Kim.

Kambree Kay Bowman and Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc. And finally, this coming Tuesday, June 14, is the 3rd birthday of Kambree Kay Bowman, daughter of Mandi Aquiningoc and Stephen Bowman of Weatherford, Texas. 

Kerri and Granddaughter Kambree

This composite photo shows Kambree on the right, from a picture taken very recently. The image on the left is a picture of her grandmother Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc, taken in 1971 in San Diego when she was about the same age that Kambree is now. Kerri lives today in Weatherford, Texas. 

Happy Birthday and best wishes to each of the birthday people pictured above!

These pairs are presented in this way not just to generate some nostalgia, especially among those of us who can remember life years ago. But this also highlights the important relationships between the generations. Being two generations apart sometimes suggests distance and separation, but the fact is that there are connections that cannot be denied, connections that are significant whether or not the two relatives ever met. 

Look closely with eyes of discernment and you can see the connections in the images above, in the eyes, in the hair, in the smiles. All of this is one more reminder that our lives, minds and hearts are inextricably intertwined with our ancestors, even if that ancestor is only two generations away.
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Steve Shepard