Shepard Family Update, June 13, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello on this beautiful day (at least in our part of the world), as summer approaches and the family reunion draws near. This Sunday is Father's Day -- an opportunity to give thanks and show appreciation for our fathers who mean so much to us, and to lovingly remember those fathers who are no longer with us.

A personal note: I have some good news and some bad news to report. The good news is, I have taken a job for the summer as the Interim Regional Minister for the Disciples of Christ in Northern California and will be employed once again, at least temporarily. The bad news is, I have to go back to work, starting next week! ;-) Actually, I am looking forward to it. But what this means is that I will not have as much time for our other pursuits, such as family visits, these weekly emails, and other activities. Cindy and I WILL attend the family reunion, though we won't be in Washington as long as we'd like.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? Last week I mentioned that our family has a close relationship with the Kilpatrick family. We are also closely related by marriage to the Boyds, Gowers, Russells and Clarks (x2!), to name just a few of the families we are close to by marriage. But with our world the way it is today, our Shepard Family celebrations need to help us appreciate the oneness of God's entire human family. Some churches sing the following hymn (one of my favorites!) that illustrates this.

God Made From One Blood
(by Thomas H. Troeger, 1988; sung to the tune of
"Immortal Invisible God Only Wise" or "How Firm a Foundation")

God made from one blood all the families of earth,
the circles of nurture that raise us from birth,
Companions who join us to work through each stage,
Of childhood and youth and adulthood and age.

We turn to you, God, with our thanks and our tears,
For all of the families we've known through the years,
The intimate networks on whom we depend
Of parents and partners and children and friends.

Through families we've tasted the value of trust
And felt what it means to be loving and just.
Yet families have also betrayed their best goals,
Mistreating their members and bruising their souls.

Help families in all of their various forms
To face with integrity struggles and storms;
Grant peace to our homes that will nurture the bud
Of peace for the families you made from one blood.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures on this weekend to remember fathers. The first (see above) is a picture from the spring of 1975, and shows the "father" of our family, William Shepard (Grandad), with his wife Bura (Gram), their youngest daughter Thelma, her husband Terry Boyd, and their two children Darren and Kim. (Darren -- 33 years later -- is now the father of 3.)

The other picture shows the oldest father among us, Elmer Shepard, his son Dane and daughter Joan, taken earlier this year at Dane and Cindy's home in Oklahoma City. (See the May 16th post for a picture of Jeremy Ortiz, the youngest father among us.) Happy father's day to Elmer, Dane, Darren, Jeremy and all the dads in our family!

Happy Birthday today, June 13, to Scott Ortiz, Kim Clark's youngest son, who lives in El Cajon, Ca.

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

Shepard Family Update, June 6

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello on this beautiful June day, from our home in the mountains of California, where the air is fresh, the trees are tall and green, and weather is just about perfect.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? There has been a longstanding connection between our Shepard/Davis family and the Kilpatrick family, going back about a hundred years when the families first settled in Beaver County, Oklahoma.

When the Shepards migrated to Colorado and then to California in 1940, some of the Kilpatricks made the same move westward (and then NORTHwestward), and continued their family friendship. For example, in the 1960s, Edwin Kilpatrick was chosen to serve San Diego's Linda Vista Church of Christ as their minister, partly because of my family's influence in that congregation. And in other ways the families have remained close through the years. In recent years some of our family have attended the Davis-Kilpatrick family reunion that occurs every year or two.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a 1922 picture that illustrates the connection between the Shepards /Davises and the Kilpatricks. Like last week, it is a picture of Gram's father James Brooks Davis. This picture also includes her mother Callie Spear Davis, and their 5 grandchildren at the time. Three of the grandkids are Pauline Shepard (in the back), Elmer Shepard (in the middle), and Eugene Shepard (on the left). The other two are Geneva Kilpatrick (front center) and Bernard Kilpatrick (bottom right). The latter two are children of the two Davis girls who married Kilpatrick boys.

Gram was the oldest of the 7 children of James Brooks Davis and Callie Davis. Two of Gram's sisters married two Kilpatrick boys: Winona married Barney, and Myra married William. (Sisters of one family marrying brothers of another family is rare today, but in those days farming families were large and somewhat isolated. Often the best "marriage opportunities" were the kids in the next farm-family.)

Elmer, one of the children in the picture, recently turned 90. His son Dane emailed me last week regarding their celebration for his dad: "Dad's birthday went well and he said he enjoyed it a lot. I picked him up and we went out with the family for Mexican food. [My wife] Cindy's parents and two sisters with their kids joined us. Dad ate a hearty meal and then the waiters came with a sombrero for him to wear and a sopapilla with whipped cream and strawberries (which he liked), and we sang to him. Sorry, I didn't have my camera for that. We all came over to our place for dessert, cards and gifts. We gave him a digital picture frame and put some old as well as new photos on it, many of which you have sent in your e-mails."

Thanks, Dane for this update and for sending me the old family picture I am sharing!

Kudos to Patrick! The other picture is of Patrick Shepard and his father Darrell. Patrick is yet another of our family members who was born in 1990 and is graduating this spring. Patrick has been in an accelerated program at Inglemoor High School (Kenmore, Wa.) and is actually graduating a year early. He has already begun taking classes at Edmonds Community College and works full time to manage the dining room at a retirement facility in Bothell, Washington, near where his family lives. He plans to carve enough time out of his busy schedule to join us for the family reunion next month.

Also planning to be at the July family reunion is Don Kilpatrick and some of his family from Oregon. Don's brother and sister are the two Kilpatrick children in the old family picture you are seeing this week.

Remember: Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. We hope you will be there too.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, May 30, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello from Anacortes, Washington while visiting with family and looking forward to the family reunion coming up in just 7 short weeks. The plans are starting to come together as arrangements are being made for a comfortable location, a fine meal, and an enjoyable program. We look forward to having a great time. If you haven't already done so, please let one of the Anacortes folks know if you will be attending.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? This coming Monday, June 2, is the graduation day for one more of our High School graduates, Lyndsey Aquiningoc, daughter of Kerri Aquiningoc and granddaughter of Gary Shepard. She is among those family youth who were born in 1990, that I referred to a few weeks ago. We celebrate with her and her family as she graduates from Weatherford High School in Weatherford, Texas. Congratulations! (see picture below)

June 2 is also the 138th anniversary of the birth of James Brooks Davis, Gram's father, and Lyndsey's great great great Grandfather. Having been gone so long, he is not well known to most of us, but Gram always spoke very highly of him. He was usually referred to by all three of his names. He died at the relatively young age of 58 (for some of us that is relatively young!), when Gram was only 32.

He was one of those "transitional" people in our family, who was adventurous enough to uproot his young family and make a major move. The family had deep roots in Spencer, Indiana. Both James Brooks Davis and his wife Callie Spear had lived in Spencer all their lives, as had Callie's mother, Maggie Williams, born in 1845. But for reasons that have been lost to history, around 1910 they decided to move the 900 or so miles to Beaver County, Oklahoma. Perhaps because it was the land of opportunity at the time. Perhaps because others in their family had already moved there or would be moving soon (see the picture below of James Brooks and his brothers AND father, taken in Oklahoma).

It could not have been an easy transition for the young family of 9. At the time Gram was about 15 and the oldest of the 7 Davis children, the youngest of whom was about 4. A Beaver County historical record says that they moved by train and then by wagon. It was an important move: within just a few years of arriving in Oklahoma, the teenager Bura Davis met and married a handsome 27 year old neighbor named William Shepard, and a new family had begun, the one to which we all belong.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a picture of Gram's grandfather Charles Edward Davis (1849-1926) and his 4 sons, including James Brooks Davis, Gram's father. The picture was probably taken in the early 1920s. Dane asked his father Elmer recently about the people in this picture. Here's what he said...

The picture is of our great, great grandfather Davis [with the beard] and his sons. It was taken at the South Flat church of Christ building in Beaver County, out in the country several miles from any town. Grandad and Gram met at this congregation. The men, from left to right:

Zaley Davis -- the bandmaster of Booker High School and of a frontier, community band known as a "booster band." Grandad played cornet in this band. Zaley moved to Shamrock, OK and then to Lubbock, TX continuing his career in leading bands.

Benjamin Davis -- He was the youngest son and a WWI vet.

W. Morton Davis -- He was a gospel preacher and held meetings at the South Flat church. He spent his years in Texas, including Paris and Dallas. He wrote for the Firm Foundation publication for 25 years.

James (Jim) Brooks Davis -- He was the oldest of the brothers and had five daughters and two sons: Gram (Bura, the oldest), Lawrence, Myra, Jess, Wynona, Esther and Margie.

Charles Edward Davis -- He died in 1924 after his wife who died in a flu epidemic in
1918 .

And John Davis.

The other picture, taken earlier this month, is of high school graduate Lyndsey Aquiningoc, and her cousins Nate and Kyle Sauvage. The boys are children of Kelly and James Sauvage, also of Weatherford, Texas.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, May 23, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

"Aloha!" from Hawaii, where Cindy and Barbara and I are basking in the sunshine of Maui this week.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? This weekend of Memorial Day is a time to remember servicemen and women who have died, as well as family members who have passed away. Our thoughts are on Shepard family members who have died in recent years, like Eugene Shepard, Gabe Ortiz, Pauline and Bill Russell, and Margie Russell, all of whom have died in the last 10 years or so. Others who have been gone even longer still remain important to us, especially whenever we visit their headstones at Green Lawn Cemetery in San Diego or wherever they may be laid to rest. All of them -- whether well remembered or not so well known -- remind us of our valuable Shepard heritage and our ongoing family history.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a picture of Havilah (Colgain) Reynolds and Pauline (Shepard) Russell, grand- niece and great-aunt. This picture was taken at the last big Shepard family reunion in Anacortes in the summer of 1994. Many of you were there for that reunion and remember what a great time we had.

Speaking of Havilah, I received an email from her just the other day in which she said...

Thank you for adding me (to the family email list). To answer your questions followyourtravel.com is my online travel store - kinda like my own expedia. And followyourtravel.biz is the business site where a person can get his or her own travel store. Helping people get paid to travel is just one of the things I do!... I'm really enjoying all the things I'm doing. What are the dates for the reunion? I will see what I can do to make it up!

To answer Havilah's question and to remind all of us... the Shepard Family Reunion will be Saturday, July 19, 2008, in Anacortes, Washington. All are welcome!

The other picture I am including is of serviceman Eugene Shepard. It is one of the more amusing pictures from our history, and reminds us that during WWII our people were not only sober and serious about life, but were able to face it all with a sense of humor.

Happy Birthday this coming week to Rex Russell in Reno, Nevada, on May 28, and to Brandyn Boyd of Lakeside, California who will be 15 on May 26.

I also received an email from Shannon Wilk this past week, who said,

It's been awhile since I have been able to get to the computer. I haven't been feeling very well, in and out of the hospital over the last month. I have "crohns", and sometimes when I have a flare up (it can last up to 2-3 months) my whole body shuts down on me and I end up having to stay in the hospital for a few days. No fun at all. And because of all this, I hate to say it, but I don't think Emma and I will be able to come to the family reunion. With all the hospital bills coming in, and I've missed some work, I just don't think the budget will allow it.

The weather is beautiful here and we are enjoying as much as we can... before it gets tooooo hot.... Other than all that things are going pretty good here. Emma's birthday is the 6th of June... I still can't believe she will be 3... getting too big too fast. Frank is doing well and enjoying the weather.... Hope all is well and hope to hear from you soon.

Smiles and Sunshine, Shannon and Emma

Our best wishes are with Shannon in this time of dealing with illness. We will miss her very much if indeed she and Emma are unable to make it to the reunion. But we certainly understand and hope only the best for her.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, May 16, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello from Anacortes, where Cindy and I are visiting the family and thinking through some of the details of the family reunion coming up July 19. Maida and Barbara have done a lot of work making plans for the special day and deserve a lot of thanks.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? This coming Tuesday is the 90th Birthday of Elmer Shepard, presently the senior member of our Shepard clan. Elmer was born in 1918 in Beaver County, Oklahoma, the second child of William and Bura Shepard. He is one of our only living ties to the life of the Shepard family before they moved from Oklahoma about 80 years ago. His little sister Thelma and his nephew Rex Russell also came west with the family to California, but were born in the tiny Southeast Colorado town of Two Buttes, where the family lived for a few years before coming all the way west. Congratulations to Elmer on this great milestone of turning 90!

Very few of the Shepards we know about lived into their 90s. Grandad, and his only sister Sadie, both died in the very month of their 88th birthday. Gram and Grandad's two children who have died, Pauline and Eugene, each lived to be 82. Gram, a small, tender woman, surprised many of us by living to be 90. So our prayers and birthday greetings are with Elmer at 90, as he continues to set the pace for all of us! Our best wishes are also with Dane and Joan and all those who provide care for our favorite nanogenarian.

These days we are as concerned as ever with living as long as possible with good quality lives. One big factor in how long we each will live is our family history. For this reason I took a look at the folks in our Shepard family and found some interesting facts. Gram and Grandad had 31 ancestors whose ages we know (they are all listed on Ancestry.com). The average life span of all these relatives (Gram, Grandad, Pauline, Eugene and the other 31) is 65 years, which is above average for people of their time.

Only 3 people among them all lived at least 90 years: Gram (1896-1986) plus two of her great grandfathers: John Lynn Wright (1810-1909) who lived to be 99!, and John Pouty Williams (1806-1898), who lived to be 92. This is remarkable since the life expectancy for Americans at the end of the 1800s was about 50 years. The life expectancy for Americans born today is about 77 years.

These facts relate only to the William and Bura Shepard part of our heritage. Each of us has at least one other part of our family tree which has to be taken into consideration. The bottom line though is that generally our Shepard ancestors lived longer than the average person for their time in history, and in some cases lived exceptionally long lives! All this is quite encouraging as we each seek to live as long and full as possible.

Birthday wishes: Besides Elmer, whose birthday will be this coming Tuesday (May 20), we extend a very Happy Birthday to Jason Shepard (30-something) on Sunday (May 18). Happy Birthday also to Ashlyn Ortiz who turns 3 on Tuesday (May 19) and TODAY to (40-something) Darren Boyd!

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a picture of Elmer with his oldest granddaughter Havilah Colgain. On the back of the photo it says that it was taken on Elmer's birthday in 1984. (Joan, can you tell us more about the circumstances surrounding this picture?)

The other picture is of birthday girl Ashlyn Ortiz and her family. Ashlyn is the one on the hip of her mother Desiree. Her father Jeremy is holding her little brother Damian. In front is her older sister Ciara, who, like her Great Great Grandfather William Shepard, is not always comfortable in front of a camera. Thanks to Grandmother Kim for this picture, taken just last month in Balboa Park in San Diego.

--

Steve

Shepard Family Update, May 9, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Happy Mother's Day this Sunday to all moms in our family, to whom we owe so much! The woman among us with the oldest child (I am trying to be as discreet as possible here) is Maida Shepard (son Gary); and the woman among us with the youngest child is Desiree Ortiz (son Damian). And in between are all of you whom we love and celebrate this weekend.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? Speaking of mothers, 1990 was the most "productive" year ever for mothers (and fathers!) in our Shepard family, when no less than 4 children were born: Steven Paul Shepard (Mar 13, Pam's little boy), Courtney Boyd (May 14, Vicki's little girl), Lyndsey Aquiningoc (Aug 29, Kerri's little girl) and Patrick Shepard (Dec 5, Mary's little boy). What this means, of course, is that not only was 1990 a special year, but so is 2008, the year they all turn 18! (Lord, help us!) I do not know of another single year when that many births took place in our family. Do you?

A related celebration: Courtney Boyd, one of the four born in 1990, will have her 18th birthday this coming Wednesday. Remarkably enough, that day also happens to be the birthday of two other people in our family, Courtney's grandmother Thelma Boyd in Gallup, New Mexico, and Christopher Shepard in Bothell Washington, all three of whom were born on May 14 (different years, of course). Happy Birthday to Courtney, Thelma and Chris!

Yet another related celebration: Congratulations are also extended to Courtney Boyd, daughter of Darren and Vicki of Lakeside, Ca., who will graduate from High School this spring. Any other graduations this spring that we can celebrate?

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a picture of three important mothers- grandmothers- great grandmothers of our Shepard family: Beryl (Swinney) Shepard (with husband Elmer), Pauline Russell (with husband Bill) and Maida Shepard (with husband Eugene). This picture was taken in San Diego about 1950, and evokes fond memories of the early years of an era that has passed for our Shepard clan. Those of us who were alive at the time can remember what it was like in the 1950s, 60s and into the 70s when Gram and Grandad, their 4 children and spouses, and the grandkids would regularly get together for family gatherings on July 4, New Year's Day, or whenever plans were made. They were happy times, when we all lived in fairly close proximity, cousins got to know each other, and Gram and Grandad were alive to enjoy the family they had spawned. But as our numbers grew, and as kids became adults with families of their own, and as people moved on to other places, those times we enjoyed so much faded into the past. And now they are just memories that come back to us when we see pictures like this one.

The other family picture shows the smiling face of soon-to-be 18 and soon-to-be high school graduate Courtney Boyd, with her younger brother and sister, Brandyn (14) and Kori Lynn (10), the children of Darren and Vicki Boyd of Lakeside, California. I received this picture in an email from them just last week with this message:

Steve...
We are very busy here. Brandyn plays year round baseball and Kori is playing Volleyball. Courtney is working part time and staying busy with friends and school. She helps out when she can. This photo was taken this past February. Courtney will be graduating on June 5th from Santana High School. Hope you are all doing well.

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, May 2, 2008

Hello Family Members and Friends,

Greetings to you all, from New Jersey to California, from Washington to the midwest to Oklahoma and Texas! I hope spring continues to be as beautiful in your part of the world as it is in ours. The California poppies along the roadsides are as bright and colorful as we have ever seen them.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? Our family history includes some names that are still common today like William, John, Mary and Sarah. But there are also, in the branches of this big tree of ours, some names that you seldom (if ever!) hear today - like Rozilla, Salatis and Salathiel (twins), Zona, Isolana, Ulysses, Udorous, Vashti and Marmaduke. I am NOT making these up! They are all first names of our relatives and you can find each of them listed in our family tree on Ancestry.com. Any of you getting some ideas for naming your next child? ;-)

Family Faces. With Mother's day coming up next weekend, I am including two family pictures, both of groups of women. The first is a picture of Grandad's only sibling, his sister Sadie J. (Shepard) Pruett (1892-1980), and two of her daughters, Gayle and Alberta. This picture appears to have been taken at Gram and Grandad's wedding in 1915. Sadie was married to Levy Pruett, with whom she had one other child, Twila, in 1929. Sadie's part of the family did not move to California when Gram and Grandad did in 1940, so they were not well known to most of us. But there must be a whole branch of our family, descended from her, that lives in the Oklahoma area and elsewhere. Do any of you know about them?

The other is a more recent picture of a group of women called "the Yayas". In this picture are women who are mothers to many of us: Maida Shepard, Jane Brock, and Paula Harris (Cindy's mom) on the front row, and Barbara and Cindy Shepard on the back row. They live in places as diverse as Washington State, Northern and Southern California, and Lubbock, Texas, yet they get together each year for a special week in some place around the country. This picture was taken at our home in Dorrington, California in the summer of 2004, when they chose to visit the Sierra Nevada mountains of California. (Click here to see a slide show of a different trip the Yayas took.) Comparing the two family pictures you see here, it is uncanny how much Barbara and her great Aunt Sadie look alike. Did you notice?

Plans continue to take shape for the family reunion July 19 in Anacortes, Washington. The food, the fellowship, the family ties are all just a few of the reasons it will be a wonderful event. You may have received another letter of invitation recently from Barbara and Maida which referred to the latest plans. (If you did not get a letter, be sure to send your physical address to me or one of the Anacortes folks and we will make sure you get one.)

Steve

Shepard Family Update, April 25, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello Shepard family and friends! Cindy and I are on our way to beautiful Asilomar State Park, near Monterey, California, where we will spend the weekend. We are attending the Annual Meeting of the Christian Church of Northern California. The ocean views are fantastic and the accommodations are very comfortable in this crown jewel of the California State Park system.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? This weekend is a time to remember some important people in our Shepard family who have passed away. This Sunday, April 27, we remember Beverly Russell Wilk, who was born on that day 69 years ago. Beverly, the younger child of Bill and Pauline (Shepard) Russell, died at the age of 35 in San Diego. Bev was a very upbeat, caring person, who shared her mother's love of life and deep appreciation for her family. Her daughter is Shannon Wilk, and her granddaughter is Emma Beverly Jean Wilk.

This coming Monday, April 28, we remember Eugene Shepard, who was born on that date 87 years ago. He died 5 years ago this summer in Anacortes. Monday is also the day to remember Nola Gower (Maida Shepard's mother) who was born on that date 106 years ago, and died just 4 years ago in Anacortes.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. (Click on the picture to see a larger view.) The first is a picture of Eugene Shepard and his niece Beverly Russell. This picture was taken in the early 1950s (can anyone pinpoint the exact year?) in San Diego on the back steps of the El Cajon Blvd Church of Christ where the Russells and the Shepards attended church regularly. How Dad ended up holding a purse, I do not know. He must have given the camera to mom to take the picture, and she gave him her purse to hold. Perhaps Mom can confirm that?

The other is a picture taken in 1994 of 5 generations of family members -- from left to right: Lyndsey Aquiningoc, her mother Kerri Aquiningoc, Kerri's father Gary Shepard, Gary's mom Maida Shepard, and Maida's mom Nola Gower. This picture was taken in front of the Gower home on Lynne St in San Diego. Nola's longevity (she lived to be 102) was something her entire family took pride in.

Remember: Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. Among the things we will do at the reunion is laugh and reminisce about loved ones we miss, who are gone but whose presence lingers still. Remembering them is one of the important things that binds us together as family.

I have recently added my nephew Jason Shepard to our email list. Jason is Gary's son and Maida's oldest grandson. He emailed me recently and said,

Uncle Steve... It has been a really long time. I'm living in Fort Worth, TX. I have been here for almost 8 years... wow!! I do like living here. It's definitely not San Diego! The summers here are just a little warmer. I work as a sales rep. for Pepsi Cola, I've been with them for 5yrs. I have enjoyed reading and seeing the pictures you have sent out.
As the years pass it seems we get more and more spread out and separated from one another. It is great to have opportunities like this to reconnect. Welcome, Jason, to this online community where we can affirm our life as family!

Shepard Family Update, April 18, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello from Lone Pine, California in the beautiful Owens Valley of Eastern California, a forgotten part of the state which many people have never heard of. We are "on the road again", on our way to visit friends in Tucson, Arizona.

Our family reunion is now only three months away. Can you believe it? Have you made your plans? I know that some of you will not be able to make it, but if you are able to come, please do so. Cindy and Nathan and I are looking forward to it. Be sure to let one of the Anacortes folks know when you will be flying in, so we can coordinate the trips between Anacortes and SeaTac.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? Ancestry.com is a remarkable resource for those interested in family history. Recently we have subscribed to it and have found more information about relatives of ours that I ever thought possible. They offer a 2 week free membership which, among other things, offers you the opportunity to view OUR Shepard family tree that we have recently put online. Check it out. Our family tree is titled "EShepard." If you do visit, be sure and check your own information to make sure that all is correct AND to add whatever needs to be added. (If you are receiving the emails, you are listed on Ancestry.com)

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a 1973 picture of Gram and Grandad and their four children: Eugene, Thelma, Pauline, and Elmer. Grandad (1888-1976), being a product of an earlier generation, was not very comfortable in front of a camera, as this picture shows. But those of us who were fortunate to have had him for a grandfather remember him as a fun loving man, and a great teller of stories from his own life, which stretched back into the late 19th century. On more than one occasion I can remember Gram having to chide him for rough housing too much with his grandkids on the living room floor.

One of my oldest memories is of the two of us, for my 7th birthday, going to see "Lady and the Tramp" at the Spreckles Theatre in San Diego. Gram stayed at my folks' home in Point Loma, promising to have tacos ready for my birthday dinner when we got home. ("Lady and the Tramp" was first released in 1955, which -- if my 59 year old memory cells can still be trusted -- is the year this happened.)

Do others of you have fond memories of Gram and Grandad? I invite you to write them down and send them to me. It would be a great way of letting others in the family know what terrific people these two were.

The other picture was taken last month in Oklahoma. It is of Dane, Joan and Elmer Shepard, along with Thelma Boyd, her daughter Kim Clark, and Kim's daughter Amanda Ortiz. They were all together in connection with getting Elmer's house in Texas ready to sell.

Dane emailed from Oklahoma last week and said,

"Joan returned to CA after spending two weeks, mostly in Henderson, TX. She was able to pack and move the things she wanted and ship them back home. We will be making more trips to check on the place as it is up for sale.

"On the weekend of March 21-24, Thelma, Kim and, Amanda joined us for a great visit (pictures attached). We enjoyed catching up. They left to take Amanda back with Kim where she will now be living. Also Kim said they planned to see Shannon at some time on the trip. Thelma was to fly back after a few days. It was encouraging to be with them and my Cindy really had a great time catching up on my history (now she knows why I act the way I do!).

"Dad was with us physically but not too much emotionally. He's been having a hard time with depression. He is now showing some signs of improving and is able to enjoy getting out for visits and going to church. Cards and letters help and would be appreciated. You can write directly to him at: Mustang Manor, 1017 W. Highway 152, Room 121, Mustang, OK 73061. It would be great to join the reunion, but Dad would not be able to go.

"I appreciate your family report. I have been encouraged to renew old friendships. I recently contacted Michael Bohannan after many years."

Thanks to Dane for that update. Remember to let me know of any others who would like to receive these messages. I will be glad to add them to our emailing list.
- -
Steve

Shepard Family Update, April 11, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Greetings from our home in Dorrington, California, in the heart of the Sierra Nevada. Dorrington is a quiet little mountain town, so small that the closest traffic light is a half hour drive down the hill. The lightest dusting of snow fell this last week as the last vestiges of winter.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? The part of our Shepard family that originates with Gram and Grandad (Will and Bura Shepard) has 4 living generations of people.

The first generation is made up of Gram and Grandad's 4 children and their spouses. The living members of that generation are Elmer Shepard and Thelma Boyd, along with Thelma's husband Terry, and Eugene's wife Maida.

The second generation is Will and Bura's grandchildren. The oldest and youngest of the 10 living people in that generation are Rex Russell and Darren Boyd. (Add spouses and you get at least 17 people in this generation.)

The oldest and youngest of the 20 people (at least 24 when you add spouses) in the third generation are Eric Russell and Kaylan Shepard.

And the oldest and youngest of the 7 young people in the fourth generation (no spouses here, yet!) are Lyndsey Aquiningoc and Damian Ortiz. There may be more than 7 members in this fourth generation, belonging to Eric Russell. Do any of you know about them?

Family Faces. Whenever our family has taken pictures of itself over the years, one interest has been in showing as many generations in one picture as possible. The first picture I am sending is an example of this. (Click on the picture to enlarge it.) Taken in Anacortes, it shows four generations: Gram (Bura Shepard), her son Eugene Shepard, his son Darrell Shepard, and his son Christopher Shepard. Christopher, born in 1984, was just a few months old at the time. The picture was taken just 2 years before Gram died at 90 years old. She lived the last several years of her life in Anacortes with son Eugene and Maida.

The other is a picture taken recently by Patrick Shepard, who writes:

This is a picture of my sister Rachel, and our mom Mary that I took in Anacortes, Washington on Christmas Day, 2007. Rachel will be 21 this month and she is doing very well. She works as a Community Relations Director for a rising Senior Living Company in Seattle and really enjoys it. In her spare time she enjoys spending time with our family. We are a very close family these days. We all still live together in Bothell, Washington and three of us work in the same company together.

Rachel's Birthday is this coming Monday. She has arrived at the magic age of 21! Best wishes and Happy Birthday to her. View a slide presentation celebrating her birthday!

Remember: Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. Darrell and Mary and their family plan to be there. We hope you will be there too.

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 emails.]