Shepard Family Update, April 4

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello from San Francisco, where Cindy and I just celebrated our son Nathan's birthday with him yesterday. We don't feel old enough to have a son who is 31, but we are. And just think... Maida has 4 grandchildren in their 30s: Nathan, Kelly, Jason and Kerri. No wait... Maida has 4 grandchildren who are AT LEAST in their 30s. One just turned 40 last month.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? 3 members of our Shepard family ARE great grandparents, while 7 young members of our family HAVE great grandparents. Lyndsay & Mandy Aquiningoc, and Kyle & Nate Sauvage -- all of Weatherford, Texas -- are great grandchildren of Maida Shepard of Anacortes,Washington. While Ciara, Ashlyn and Damian Ortiz of El Cajon are all great grandchildren of Terry and Thelma Boyd of Gallup, New Mexico.

Family Faces. I am sending two family pictures. (Click on the pictures to enlarge them.) The first one is a picture of Linda, Gary and Steven Shepard, children of Maida and Eugene, in front of their home on Ulric St in San Diego in 1951. Linda's baby stroller belongs in the Smithsonian! Gary was ready to start Kindergarten at Kit Carson Elementary in Linda Vista at the time. And my guess is that the newpapers on the front porch were not to be recycled, but to be thrown away. Why the big smiles on us boys, but not on Linda? 26 year old Maida was probably making goofy faces as she stood behind the "Brownie", which only served to tickle Gary and me, while hardly fazing Linda, who as a child usually offered this stoic look.

The other is a picture of soccer players Kori Lynn Boyd (Darren and Vicki's daughter) and Ciara Ortiz, taken last fall in the San Diego area. Happy Birthday TODAY to little Ciara! Parents Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz, Grandmother Kim Clark, and Great Grandparents Thelma and Terry Boyd must be very proud.

Comparing these two family pictures, you can see that photography has changed tremendously in the last 57 years, but the joy of children and the meaning they give to our lives has not changed a bit.

Remember: Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. A new and updated invitation by US Mail has recently been sent out. If you did not get one, be sure and let us know your physical address and we will send you one. Thanks to Barbara for sending out the invitations.

Do any of you have some interesting family facts that you would like to share in one of these family emails? Let me know, I'd be glad to include them. If you have a family picture you'd like to share, let me know that as well.
- - -

Steve

Shepard Family Update - March 28, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello from San Diego, along with nephew Patrick Shepard (of Bothell, Washington) who is enjoying a well deserved vacation in Southern California after having his nose to the grindstone of High School and after-school employment. Pat is here visiting his father Darrell's home town and seeing the sights. (I had forgotten how beautiful San Diego can be in spring time!)

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? I mentioned a few weeks ago that "William" was a very common name in our family, and has been given to at least one family member in William Shepard's lineage since at least 1835. Since I shared that with you, I have discovered that Gram (Bura Davis Shepard) had a grandmother named Margaret Francis Williams. Her Williams lineage can be traced back to -- you ready for this? -- William Williams, born 1745 in Fairfax, Virginia. (No word yet on whether his middle name was Bill!)

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a 1974 picture of Beryl and Elmer Shepard and their children Joan and Dane. After both of them served in WWII, Elmer and Beryl married in 1946 and raised their children in the San Diego area, near El Cajon. They built a beautiful home on Osage Trail in Winterhaven, a place of numerous family gatherings where board games were played and home made ice cream was cranked by hand. For many years Gram and Grandad lived right next door in a rented house. (Did Gram and Grandad EVER own their own home?)

It must have been in the late 1970s that Elmer retired from his work on North Island, and they moved to Beryl's hometown of Henderson, Texas. Beryl died nearly 15 years ago, and Elmer now lives in Oklahoma near his son Dane and his family. This picture was taken around the time of Joan's 20th birthday, about the time she was a student at Lubbock Christian University.

The other is a picture of Shannon Wilk and her daughter Emma Beverly Jean Wilk, who will be 3 in June. Emma is named after her grandmother Beverly Jean Russell who died in 1974. Shannon and Emma now live in Atchison, Kansas near Frank Bockach, who was her father Phil's partner for 28 years before Phil died last fall.

Thanks to Kim Clark for this picture, which was taken recently when Kim and husband Jeff visited Shannon and Emma for the first time in many years. Shannon and Emma look forward to coming to the family reunion this summer and getting reconnected with the family.

Behind every picture there is a story - many stories in fact - and these that I have just shared are only a few that come to my mind when viewing these two pictures. If I don't have all my facts exactly right, please let me know.

Happy Birthday this coming Monday to Joan (Shepard) Colgain of Dixon, California. I received word from Joan recently:

Hello, Steve! I enjoy your family emails immensely and appreciate the considerable amount of time you must spend collecting information. Recently, I've been preoccupied planning a trip to Oklahoma and Texas. I'll be helping Dane clean out Dad's house, getting it ready to sell. I'll also visit Dad and family. Thelma and Kim are flying in, too! Havilah [and husband Jason Reynolds] is in transition and does not have home email right now. Havilah was born in East Texas. We lived there for about ten years before moving back to California. This will be my first visit to Dane's new home. I attended Lubbock Christian for a year in the '70s and remember Jerry [Clark]. Small world!

Happy Birthday next Thursday to our son Nathan Shepard in San Francisco. Nate is a Computer Analyst for Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco where he has lived for about 5 years. He enjoys traveling (he'll leave for Hong Kong next week!), snow skiing, working out, his cat Socket, online gaming, and life in the big city. He enjoys family too and is making plans to be at the family reunion this July.

Remember: Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. We hope YOU will be there to catch up with other family members!

Steve

Shepard Family Update, March 21, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello from San Diego on this "Good" Friday, a day of a full moon, and ironically (or not) the first day of spring! Happy birthday this coming Easter Sunday to Gary Shepard! Bit of Trivia: this is the only time in his entire life that Gary's birthday will fall on Easter Sunday. (Look it up. The last time was 1913 -- Gary is not THAT old! -- and the next time will be 2160.)



Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? One branch of our family has not been heard from for several years. The whereabouts of Rex Russell and Eric Russell, son and grandson of Pauline (Shepard) Russell, are unknown. Last I heard they were living in the Reno, Nevada area. Would anyone be willing to try and locate them? It would be great to be back in touch with them and invite them to the family reunion. Kim (Boyd) Clark told me that she visited Rex a few years ago, but has since lost touch with him.



Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first one was taken at the wedding of Rex and Margie Russell in the San Diego area March 3, 1975. Also in the picture are me and Cindy. The back of the picture says that it was taken near Lake Jennings in Lakeside. As I recall the wedding was at the Mobile Home Park where Rex and Margie lived, and was a very special event attended by quite a few family members.

The other is a picture of Gary and Cindy Shepard, taken a few weeks ago at an early celebration of Gary's Birthday. On the birthday cake you can also see candles in honor of other birthdays in February and March: Gary's wife Cindy, Darrell, Russ and Steven Paul. The picture was taken at Maida's house in Anacortes.

Gary and his wife Cindy live in Oak Harbor, Washington, a short drive from Anacortes. Five years ago when Gary retired from work with the County of San Diego, they moved from Ramona to Washington State to join the rest of the clan there. Gary enjoys the retired life in the Northwest, including walks with his dog-buddy Dexter, regular visits with Mom in Anacortes, church life in Oak Harbor, and helping Cindy get up and off to work each morning (!).

Gary, Cindy and Dexter all three will be at the Shepard family reunion this summer, July 19, in Anacortes, Washington. We hope YOU will be there too!

Note about email addresses: You may have noticed that when I send out these messages by email, the only address you actually see is mine, even though the email goes out to about 25 family members and friends. In these days of so much junk mail, the fewer places our addresses are seen the better. If you would like to have the email addresses of the others on the list, just write me and let me know. Or if you would rather NOT have your email address available to others, please let me know that as well.

Steve

Shepard Family Update, Mar 14

Dear Family members and Friends,

Hello from Northern California on this day before the Ides of March!

Birthday wishes TODAY to Jerry Clark, in Lubbock, Texas! He was born on this day in 1950. Jerry has been a successful Balfour and Taylor Publishing Company Representative in Lubbock, Texas for over 30 years. He has lived in Lubbock since the late 1960s. when he was at Lubbock Christian University. Next month he and his wife Cathrina will celebrate their second wedding anniversary. Congratulations! They will both be with us this summer at the family reunion.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? People have married into our Shepard family with very diverse ethnic origins -- Native American, Columbian, Hispanic, Irish, Norwegian, and many others. Those who marry into our family are not "direct descendants" of our Shepard ancestors, but they are very much a part of our family and contribute significantly to our life together. And most of them become parents of "direct descendants". But remember this: the Adam and Eve story reminds us that in the final analysis we are ALL blood related.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures (You can click on the pictures to enlarge them). The first is an old one from August, 1970 and shows Linda Shepard, Jerry Clark, my wife Cindy Shepard, and me -- all of us in our early 20s. (Did we know how to dress back then, or what?) This picture was taken in front of our home on Armstrong Street in San Diego, possibly just before the rehearsal dinner for Linda and Jerry's wedding at the Linda Vista Church of Christ. Linda and Jerry were students at Lubbock Christian University at the time.

A year later Linda died in a tragic car accident, one of several untimely deaths in our family in the early 1970s. Every family member who lived at that time can attest to how difficult those deaths were, but also how they deepened us and our relationships. We have been blessed that Jerry Clark has remained a part of our family ever since Linda's death in 1971. In August of 1993, 22 years after the accident, a daughter was born in Anacortes, Washington to Linda's youngest brother Russell and his wife Pam. The name they chose to give her? Linda Shepard.

The other family picture is a December, 2006 photo of Darren and Vicki Boyd's 3 children - Courtney (in the blue charger shirt), Brandyn (sitting) and Kori Lynn (in pink). In the picture are also Kim (Boyd) Clark's 3 grandchildren - Ciara Ortiz, Ashlyn Ortiz, and Damian Ortiz (being held by Brandyn), children of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz. All 6 live in the San Diego area. Darren and Vicki's oldest, Courtney, will graduate this spring from High School in Santee, Ca.

Remember: Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. Maida and Barb and the others in Anacortes continue to make plans and look forward to being welcoming hosts for the event. We hope YOU will be there!

Steve
shepard@sierrawebworks.com

[P.S.... If you know of other family members or friends who would like to receive these messages, please ask them to send me an email at shepard@sierrawebworks.com -- or give me their email addresses -- and I will include them on the email list. If you have their physical address, please send that to me as well and I will make sure they receive an invitation to the reunion by US Mail. Also, please let me know if you would rather I use a different email address for you, or if you would prefer NOT to receive these emails.]

Shepard Family Update, Mar 7

Dear Family members and Friends,

I hope that everyone is doing well as we make our way into March. The family reunion on July 19, in Anacortes, Washington is only about 4 months away! A tentative list of those who will attend include: Maida, Barbara, Gary and Cindy, Kerri, Mandy and Lyndsay, Kelly and Nathaniel, Steve and Cindy and Nathan, Russ and Pam, Steven Paul and Linda, Thelma and Kim, Shannon and Emma, Darrell and his family, and Jerry and Cathrina. It will be quite a group. We hope YOU will be there!

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? Our Shepard family reflects a strong, historical connection to the Churches of Christ? Not all our family members share that affiliation, but many do. At least 6 generations of Church of Christ members can be found within our family. This connection can be traced back through Bura Davis Shepard (1896-1986), whose parents AND paternal grandparents were Church of Christ members. This family affiliation goes back at least 150 years to the mid 1800s, the early years of what is called "the Restoration Movement". That is an American religious movement which actually gave birth to three present-day groups: the Churches of Christ, the Independent Christian Church, and the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)).

Several years ago when my Dad and I visited the Church of Christ in Spencer, Indiana, we found the 1910 baptismal record for Bura Davis who was born in Spencer and was 14 when baptized. Just 5 years later -- after her family had moved to Beaver County, Oklahoma -- she married William Shepard. The South Flat Church of Christ near Elmwood in Beaver County was the church home for several of our family for many years (and perhaps still is today), and was where my Dad (and possibly his siblings) were baptized. When the family migrated to San Diego in 1940, the El Cajon Blvd Church of Christ became the church home for many of them for several decades.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures (click on the pictures to enlarge them.). The first is from 1951 and shows Will and Bura Shepard and 5 of their 6 grandchildren at the time. (The only other grandchild was Rex Russell.) In the picture from left to right are: Beverly, Dane (being held by Bev), Gary, Gram holding Linda, and me, in Grandad's shadow. The picture was taken in front of their home not far from the El Cajon Blvd Church of Christ in San Diego. Sundays were often a time for grandparents, parents, and children to be together at church and afterwards. This may have been one such occasion. (I cannot remember any other reason for Grandad to be wearing a tie! Can you?)

The other is a picture of part of the Anacortes clan, taken last summer. It shows Russ and Pam Shepard and their children Linda and Steven. If you compare the pictures it is uncanny how similar are the smiles of Russ and his grandfather William Shepard (the hairlines are striking similar as well!) This second picture was taken on Orcas Island, one of the beautiful vacation spots in the San Juan Islands. Anacortes is the ferry stop known as "The Gateway to the San Juans." If you will be attending the reunion this summer, these islands are a wonderful place to visit.

Happy Birthday this coming week to Russell and Steven Paul Shepard, father and son, both born on March 13 (28 years apart!).
--
Steve

[P.S.... If you know of other family members or friends who would like to receive these messages, please ask them to send me an email at shepard@sierrawebworks.com -- or give me their email addresses -- and I will include them on the email list. If you have their physical address, please send that to me as well and I will make sure they receive an invitation to the reunion by US Mail. Also, please let me know if you would rather I use a different email address for you, or if you would prefer NOT to receive these emails.]

Shepard Family Update, Feb 29

Dear Family members and friends,

Happy Leap Day from Northern California! Winter is still with us in our part of the world, but there are growing signs every day that spring is not far away.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? "William" had been a common name in our family, going back at least 170 years, perhaps even farther. It has been given to at least one member of our family in every generation (except one) going back as far as we can trace the Shepard name (1835). Here is a list of the Williams:

• William Shepard (1835-1862) - died in the civil war
• William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915) - civil war baby
• William Shepard (1888-1976) - "Grandad"
• Eugene William Shepard (1921-2003)
• (skip a generation)
• Nathan William Shepard (b.1977)

Who will be next to name one of their children William?

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is one of the oldest family pictures I have. It shows Elmer and Pauline Shepard and their grandmother Elvira Owens Shepard (1864-1931) wife of William Elmer Shepard.

I have no date for this picture, but Elmer, the boy in the picture, was born in 1918 and looks to be - what do you think? - maybe 2 years old? Elvira Owens Shepard, the woman in the picture, was "Grandad's" mother, whose family was from Alton, Illinois, where Grandad was born, which is just across the Mississippi River from Saint Louis, Mo.

The other is a picture taken last summer at our home in Dorrington California, of four cousins: Nathan William Shepard (of San Francisco), Patrick Shepard (of Bothell, Washington), and Steven and Linda Shepard (of Anacortes).

These 4 cousins represent the 20 great-grandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard, who range in age from 8 years old (Kaylan Shepard) to 42 (Eric Russell). Below is the complete list, with birth years and where they live now. Unfortunately, one from this list, Karl Wilk, died back in 1997. This is a very impressive generation of descendants of Will and Bura Shepard. (Please send me any corrections to this list.)

Bill and Pauline (Shepard) Russell's grandchildren:

• Eric Russell, 1965 (Reno, Nev?)
• Shannon Wilk, 1973 (Atchison, Kan.)

Beryl and Elmer Shepard's grandchildren:

• Havilah Colgain, 1982 (Dixon, Ca?)
• Nathan Shepard, 1996 (Oklahoma City)
• Kaylan Shepard, 1999 (Oklahoma City)

Maida and Gene Shepard's grandchildren:

• Kerri Aquiningoc, 1968 (Weatherford, Tx)
• Jason Shepard, 1972 (Ft Worth,Tx)
• Kelly Sauvage, 1973 (Weatherford, Tx)
• Nathan Shepard, 1977 (San Francisco)
• Christopher Shepard, 1984 (Bothell, Wa)
• Rachel Shepard, 1987 (Bothell, Wa)
• Patrick Shepard, 1990 (Bothell, Wa)
• Steven Paul Shepard, 1990 (Anacortes)
• Linda Shepard, 1993 (Anacortes)

Terry and Thelma (Shepard) Boyd's grandchildren:

• Courtney Boyd, 1990 (Santee, Ca)
• Brandyn Boyd, 1994 (Santee, Ca)
• Kori Lynn Boyd, 1997 (Santee, Ca)
• Jeremy Ortiz, 1980 (El Cajon, Ca)
• Amanda Ortiz, 1983 (Gallup, N.Mex.)
• Scott Ortiz, 1985 (El Cajon, Ca)

Family News: Happy Birthday to Kerri (Shepard) Aquiningoc, this coming Monday, March 3! (This is a big one for her, that ends in "0"!) Congratulations and best wishes!

Remember: Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. We are pleased that many of you have already told us you will be there and are making your plans to attend. Please let us know if you can make it so that we can plan for your presence. We want to include every family member and friend!
--
Steve

[P.S.... If you know of other family members or friends who would like to receive these emails, please ask them to send me an email at shepard@sierrawebworks.com -- or give me their email addresses -- and I will include them on the email list. If you have their physical address, please send that to me as well and I will make sure they receive an invitation to the reunion by US Mail. Also, please let me know if you would rather I use a different email address for you, or if you would prefer NOT to receive these messages.]

Shepard Family Update, Feb 22

Dear Family members and friends, 


Hello from Anacortes, Washington, where Cindy and I are visiting with Maida and the rest of the family in this area. All the Shepards up here are excited about hosting the family reunion this summer on Saturday, July 19, and look forward to welcoming all of you who will be coming from places far or near. Be sure and let us know if you will be attending, and when you will be arriving. If you are coming by air, help with transportation from the SeaTac airport may be possible. 


Fascinating Family Fact: Speaking of Anacortes... Did you know? Anacortes is a scenic Puget Sound resort community, a popular ferry stop on the way to the San Juan Islands, and an hour and a half drive north of Seattle. 


The first of our Shepard family to live in these parts were Eugene and Maida Shepard, who sold their home in San Diego and moved here 30 years ago this spring, after Eugene retired from Civil service work. At first it was just the two of them and their youngest son Russell, who was still in High School. Their other 4 children were either married and on their own, or busy with other pursuits. Part of the reason for their move to the North West was to help with a small Church of Christ congregation in Anacortes whose minister was a friend from San Diego.

Over the last 30 years most of Maida and Gene's clan has settled in and around Anacortes, including Barbara in Anacortes (who lives with Maida), Russell and his wife Pam and their kids in Anacortes, Gary and his wife Cindy in nearby Oak Harbor, Wa, and Darrell and his wife Mary and their kids in Bothell, Wa. (a suburb of Seattle). Cindy and I are holdouts who still live in California, as does our son Nathan. Washington is too beautiful a place to visit to move here! ;-)

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is an old one of 20-year-old Maida Gower and 24-year-old Eugene Shepard, newlyweds on their honeymoon in Anaheim, Ca. Gene was in the Navy at the time, stationed at Los Alamitos Naval Air Station. There's was a small wartime wedding in San Diego at the El Cajon Blvd Church of Christ May 24, 1945. They enjoyed almost 60 years of marriage before Eugene died in the summer of 2003.

The other is a picture of the 1994 Anacortes family reunion. (You can click on the picture for a larger view.) In the picture are Bill and Pauline Russell, Art and Havilah Colgain (Joan's daughter), Maida and Eugene Shepard, their children Gary, Steve, Darrell, Barbara, and Russell, several of their grandchildren (Kerri, Kelly, Nathan, Chris, Rachel, Patrick, Linda and Steven Paul), Jerry Clark on the far left, and several members of Maida's Gower family. (We want all of you in the photo at this year's family reunion!)

This photo reminds us that we have lost several family members since this picture was taken. Not just Bill and Pauline and Eugene, who are in this picture, but others as well. We remember them all fondly.

Happy Birthday to Darrell Shepard this coming Wednesday, February 27!

- - -

Steve

Shepard Family Update, Feb 15, 2008

Dear Family members,

Hello everyone from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where Cindy and I are basking in 85 degree weather! A little warmth, after all the snow we have been having in Northern California, is a welcome respite. This is warm winter weather even by San Diego standards.

Fascinating Family Fact: Speaking of San Diego... Did you know? Some Shepard family members have made San Diego their home since Will and Bura Shepard moved there with their 4 children in 1940 from Two Buttes, Colorado, in that state's southeast corner. Before that the Shepard family had been in the panhandle of Oklahoma (Beaver County), and before that the St Louis area, and before that Indiana, and before that Ohio. Most of our Shepard family members in recent years have moved away from San Diego, but that area has been home to various family members continuously for almost 70 years now, longer than anywhere else.

Family Faces. I am sending two family pictures. The first is an old one dated Feb, 1945 and is a picture of Will and Bura Shepard's family, barely 5 years after the family first moved to San Diego. From left to right the adults are Pauline Russell, Elmer Shepard, Bura and Will Shepard. The children are Rex and Bev Russell and Thelma Shepard. They are in front of what looks like the Russell home on Ohio St in the North Park community of San Diego, the first home owned by any of our family in that city. Not in this picture are Eugene Shepard and Bill Russell (Pauline's husband) the only other members of our Shepard family in Feb, 1945.

The other is a recent picture of Dane and Cindy Shepard and their children Kaylan and Nathan of Oklahoma City.

Family News and Updates. Belated Birthday wishes to Cindy Shepard (Gary's Cindy) earlier this month on February 2! And Happy Birthday to Thelma's husband Terry Boyd next Wednesday, Feb 20, in Gallup, New Mexico!

I received an email recently from Shannon Wilk (Pauline Shepard Russell's granddaughter), who says...

I have a daughter now, she is 2 1/2 and will be 3 in June. Her name is Emma Beverly Jean Wilk. I had always wanted to name my child after my mom, and well the good Lord gave me the most wonderful gift ever. She is my angel baby.

May of '05 I moved to Mass., where dad and Frank were living, (Frank's daughter lives there) and had Emma that June. I was really home sick so they decided to go back to Kansas with me. So in August of '05, Emma was only 2 months old, we packed everything up and headed back here.

Kim told me about the reunion, and it sounds wonderful. I would love to go. Too many years have gone by without my family, and its about time I stay in touch with everyone. Now that my own family is all gone, though I do have Frank, and bless him, he has been there for me and Emma this whole time.

Remember: Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington.

Steve

Shepard Family Update, February 8

Dear Family members,

Hello from Lubbock, Texas, where Cindy and I are celebrating our 40th class reunion at Lubbock Christian University! We are enjoying the Texas hospitality of Jerry Clark and his wife Cathrina (see picture) and look forward to some time with long-time family friend Jane Brock and her husband Joe. We are also seeing school mates of years past -- all of whom, for some strange reason, have aged tremendously! ;-)

Fascinating Family Fact: Speaking of old... Did you know? Our oldest known Shepard ancestor, William Shepard (1835-1862), had a son, William Elmer Shepard (1862-1915), who was born in Wabash, Indiana during the Civil war, a few months before his father died. Because of his father's untimely death, the two of them probably never met.

William Elmer Shepard left home as a young man -- an old family tradition says he was estranged from his Indiana family for the rest of his life because of animosity with his step father. He settled in the St Louis area (Alton, Illinois) and married Elvira Owens. They had two children, a daughter, Sadie Shepard, and a son, William Shepard (1888-1976), who they named after his father AND grandfather. As a young man THIS William Shepard moved to the panhandle of Oklahoma (the land of opportunity at that time), married Bura Davis in 1915, and was the father of Pauline, Elmer, Eugene and Thelma. He was also a grandfather fondly remembered by a number of us (see picture).

I have no information on any of our Shepard ancestors before the William Shepard who was born in 1835 in Ohio. Do any of you have the interest and know-how to research our family history? We need one or more people who would be willing to give it some time and energy, in particular to discover our Shepard ancestors before 1835. And this is just the Shepard line. There is a whole other family tree belonging to Bura Davis (Shepard), that all us descendants can call ours.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first one shows Bura and William Shepard in 1975 (the year before he died), and includes 8 of their 10 grandchildren at the time. On the back row are grandchildren Barbara Shepard, Darrell Shepard, Joan Shepard and Gary Shepard; on the front row are grandchildren Darren Boyd, Dane Shepard and Kim Boyd; grandchild Russell Shepard is down in front. The picture also includes Gary's wife (at the time) Jackie, and their 3 children, Kelly, Kerri and Jason (Bura and William's great-grandchildren).

1975 was an eventful year for the Shepard family. This picture was taken at Gary and Jackie's home in Mira Mesa on the occasion of Maida and Eugene's 30th wedding anniversary. The following month William and Bura celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Two months before this picture was taken Rex and Margie Russell were married in a small family ceremony near Lake Jennings. Thanksgiving 1975 was a snowy event at Bill and Pauline Russell's cabin in Idylwild, Ca, remembered by many of us who were there. All of this came on the heels of the unfortunate deaths of Beverly Russell and Maida Shepard's father, Leroy Gower, within days of each other in December, 1974.

The other picture is Thanksgiving dinner 2007 and shows Cindy and me on the left, our son Nathan William Shepard on the right, with Jerry and Cathrina Clark next to Nathan. Next to me is Amanda (Clark) Farrell (Jerry's daughter) and her husband Chris, both Texans who now live in Hawthorne, New Jersey.

Family News. I received word this past week from Dane Shepard in Oklahoma City who says that his dad Elmer "has moved up near us into assisted living. His phone # is 405-376-0160 and his mailing address is ours: 8211 Shadow Lake Drive, Blanchard, OK 73010. We appreciate the family e-mail. Dad enjoys hearing about the family." (Elmer is the oldest living member of our Shepard family and will be 90 years old in May.)

As a follow up to my email a few weeks ago about family members who served in the military in wartime, Dane also writes, "My mother, Beryl (Swinney), was an ensign in the Navy Nurse Corp in WWII, stationed at Balboa Park, San Diego, from 1944-1945." ...Thanks so much, Dane, for sharing this information.

Remember: You are invited! Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. Come for the day or the whole weekend! Find out where Anacortes, Washington is.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Shepard Family Update, Feb 1

February 1, 2008

Dear Family members,

Hello from the snowy mountains of Northern California, on the Eve of Ground Hog day, which celebrates the mid-point of winter. I can see my shadow at the moment; we shall see about tomorrow.

Remember: Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. You are invited! Barbara tells me that she and Maida are in the process of sending out an updated notice about the events by US Mail to all those for whom they have physical addresses. Do they have yours? If not send it to me, or to them, and we will make sure you receive one.

After my last message regarding Shepard family members who served in wartime, I received word from Thelma (Shepard) Boyd that her husband Terry was in the Navy back in the mid-50s and that Rex Russell was also in the service about the same time, although -- thankfully -- during peacetime.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? Our oldest known Shepard ancestor, William Shepard, was born in Ohio in 1835, but as a young man his family moved to Wabash, Indiana. There he entered the Union Army and died on July 21, 1862, at 27 years old, from wounds suffered in the Civil War. His burial site can be visited in the beautiful Civil War section of Oak Hill Cemetery in Evansville, Indiana.

I had a very interesting visit to his grave back in 1992 and found it easy to locate. I also visited his hometown of Wabash, Indiana and read that after being wounded in the war (by a cannon blast according to an old family story) he was sent to the hospital in Evansville where he contracted Typhoid fever which is what eventually took his life.

Family Faces. I am sending you two pictures. One is a picture of the grave of Civil War casualty William Shepard (1835-1862), our oldest known Shepard ancestor. His name is almost worn off the headstone (in front, on the right), which is now 146 years old.

The other picture is of Jeff and Kim (Boyd) Clark and two of Kim's 3 grandchildren, Ciara and Ashlyn, children of Jeremy and Desiree Ortiz, who live outside San Diego in El Cajon. Kim and her husband Jeff Clark live in Blue Springs, Missouri. Kim says she misses San Diego and gets back there quite often to visit her kids and grandkids.

I have been able to add a couple more family members to this email list. Our online circle now includes Mary and Rachel Shepard (Bothell, Washington) and Shannon Wilk (Atchison, Kansas). The list already includes Maida, Barbara, Gary, Pam, Linda, Steven Paul, Steven Dale, Nathan, Cindy1, Cindy2, Dane and Cindy3, Joan, Jeremy and Desiree, Thelma, Patrick, Darrell, Mary, Rachel, Shannon, Kim, Darren and Vicki, Jerry, Jane, Amanda F, and Kelly. Anybody else you'd like to add?
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Steve