Great Expectations, August 29, 2014

Snips, snails and puppy dog tails...

that's what little boys are made of.

In Memoriam. Our sympathies and best wishes are extended to our daughter-in-law Chenda Sou Shepard of San Diego. Chenda's father, Sou Pehn, passed away recently in Cambodia after an extended illness.

He was the other grandfather of our grandchildren Preslea, Logan and William Shepard. He died after an extended battle with what appears to have been a serious stroke, suffered just a couple of years ago.

The first picture shows Sou Pehn, taken in 2009 in his Cambodian Village of Kampong Speu.

Best Wishes to Lyndsey. Happy Birthday today to Lyndsey Aquiningoc of Weatherford, Texas. Lyndsey was born in San Diego in 1990 as one of the four birthdays in our extended family that year. Since the turn of the century Lyndsey has lived in Weatherford, Texas along with several other members of her family.

Lyndsey's mother is Kerri Shepard Aquiningoc, and her grandparents are Jackie Perry and my brother Gary Shepard. She is one of the great grandchildren of Maida and Eugene Shepard. Late in September Lyndsey will give birth to her first child, and the second Great Great Grandchild of Maida Shepard.

Lyndsey: I am doing pretty good, getting more and more anxious as the time gets closer and closer. I am ready to have this baby boy! I can't even begin to explain how nervous I am but I know that when the time comes I will be ready! I have a great boyfriend named Colton who is going to be a great dad and a great partner. He's been my best friend since High School. I know God doesn't give us anything we can't handle! I can't wait to begin this journey with Colton and my baby Karver. Rachel and I are due the same day and we're both having boys. How crazy is that?! Can't wait to one day bring Colton and Karver to visit y'all!

The second picture shows Lyndsey earlier this month in Grandbury, Texas at her baby shower. Happy Birthday today to Lyndsey and best wishes to her and her boyfriend Colton.

Great Expectations. Lyndsey makes reference in her comments above to her cousin Rachel Shepard of Kirkland, Washington, who is also expecting a baby boy -- on the very same day! -- in late September. 

The third picture shows Rachel with her boyfriend Brian, in a picture taken earlier this summer. Rachel is holding her nephew Logan Joseph Shepard whose first birthday was being celebrated when this picture was taken in Bothell, Washington at the home of Logan's parents Patrick and Nicole Shepard. 

Did I mention that Rachel's brother Patrick and his wife Nicole are also expecting a baby boy? That little guy will not arrive until December this year.
- - -
Steve Shepard

Memories Are Made of This, August 22, 2014

Somewhere in that pad of stuffing

is a toy who taught me that

life's only worth living

if you're being loved by a kid.

~Buzz Lightyear (Toy Story 2)

Happy Birthday, Amanda. This coming Monday, Aug 25, is the birthday of Amanda Ortiz Davis of Blue Springs, Missouri. Amanda is the daughter of Kim Boyd Clark and the granddaughter of Thelma Shepard Boyd, also of Blue Springs. Amanda was born in Gallup, New Mexico and lived much of her life in San Diego before moving to Missouri just a couple of years ago. The big news in Amanda's life this year is her marriage in Las Vegas to Justin Davis in February.

Amanda: "Life is good :)  Turning 30 was amazing! The greatest year ever. And I know that now I am turning 31 it will be even better :) Married life is great and I am loving every minute of it. Not only am I turning 31 on Monday but Justin and I are closing on our first house that day as well! Talk about a birthday present :) We will be celebrating my birthday this weekend with the family. The picture is one we took while on the plane to Florida for our honeymoon :) Thanks for the birthday wishes!" 

Another Car and the Stories It Tells. I have mentioned before in this blog that my Dad, Eugene Shepard, loved to buy used cars for our family and then tinker with them as he put them to good use. One such car was a 1962 Mercury Meteor, an important part of our family's life 50 years ago, in the mid 1960s when we lived on Armstrong Street in San Diego. 

Ford Motor Company's Mercury Meteor was only made from 1961 to 1963, with a name intended to appeal to the excitement of the "Space Race" which was in full swing in America at the time. The "Space Race" skyrocketed in the next few years (we walked on the moon in the summer of 1969). While the sales of the Meteor model fizzled out and it was discontinued at the end of 1963. That may have been why it made a pretty good deal for Dad when he bought a used one about 1964.

Dad's Mercury was used by the family in many ways, including getting us to church three times a week at the Linda Vista Church of Christ. The second picture shows my brother Darrell and sister Barbara in their Sunday best, curbside in front of our home on Armstrong Street. They are standing beside the car, holding the door invitingly open, on a "Lord's Day morning" in the fall of 1966.

This car was especially memorable for me for a couple of reasons. In March of 1964 I turned 15 1/2, the magical age when it a teen could obtain a driving permit in California. So it was possibly in Dad's '62 Merc that I learned how to drive. I am sure, however, that it was the car I used many times to take Cindy on dates in 1965 and 1966, to the beach or to a Drive-In theater, to church youth activities or to the "A and W" near our home in the new San Diego Community of Kearny Mesa.

Dates to Drive-In theaters in that car stand out in my memory. The best value was a double feature, or if we were really lucky, a triple feature (yes they had such things), which would occupy us until the wee hours of the morning. But I had to be careful to get Cindy back to the Harris home and then the car back to our Shepard home by 5:00 a.m. That's when Dad got up to go to work. There would be hell to pay if the car was not safely in the garage and available to him when he was ready to leave. My objective on such occasions was to get home and crawl into bed just before Dad's alarm sounded. More than once I heard his alarm before I drifted off.

This Mercury was also the car I used in the spring of 1966 when I took my girlfriend Cindy to the annual Junior-Senior Banquet, a formal city-wide church youth event. More than just a banquet, it included other chaperoned activities that took us through the entire night. The third picture, taken by Cindy's Dad Joe Harris, shows Cindy and me at the end of that annual event with my Dad's '62 Merc behind us. Note the yellow bumper tag on the car, Dad's work sticker giving him access to the Naval Supply Depot in Point Loma where he worked. It was my constant reminder whose car this really was. This is the oldest picture we have of Cindy and me together, taken just weeks before we graduated High School and a couple of years before we married.

We went though a number of cars while growing up in Kearny Mesa, almost always having two at a time. But this 1962 Mercury Meteor, as dependable as it was memorable, is the one I remember better than any of the others.
- - -
Steve Shepard

The Power and Pathos of Names, Aug 15, 2014

What's in a name?

That which we call a rose

by any other name
would smell as sweet.

~William Shakespeare

Congratulations to my niece Linda Shepard whose 21st birthday is tomorrow, August 16. Linda lives in Anacortes, Washington with her boyfriend Jamie, near her parents Russ and Pam Shepard, and not far from her grandmother Maida Gower Shepard. She is one of the Great Grandchildren of both William and Bura Davis Shepard, and Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower.

Linda: This year has been quite eventful. I moved out from my parents and got my own place in February. I am now purchasing a new car, a 2011 Toyota Camry. Since last year I have been promoted from a caregiver at the nursing home I work for, to a ward clerk. I am registered to finish my last prerequisite for the LPN program, which I will hopefully enter in fall of 2016. The waitlist is quite long so I will be completing my RN and bachelor's in the science of nurse prerequisites. For my birthday I plan to go out with friends and family for a night on the town.

Linda/Linda. Linda Mae Dawn Shepard's aunt and namesake was my sister Linda Rae Shepard Clark (1950-1971). Our 21st century Linda Shepard never knew the 20th century Linda, who died 43 years ago this month in Lubbock, Texas. Her accidental death occurred just weeks before her 21st birthday and just days before her and Jerry Clark's first wedding anniversary. Their intentional name similarities make it certain they will always be inextricably bound in some bitter-sweet way by those familiar with our family's history.

The first picture shows Linda Shepard of Anacortes, at home with her little dog Milo. The second image (right) is one I received recently from Jerry Clark. Earlier this year he discovered this sketch of Linda done in April, 1969 by his father Terrence Clark (1914-1973).

This was not the first instance in our family of using the power of naming to hold on to something lost in the past.

William/William. My GG grandmother Mary Sprague Shepard gave her husband's name (William Shepard) to their new born son in the Northern Indiana town of Wabash in February, 1862. Interestingly she also chose to make his name slightly different, adding the middle name Elmer. Mary named William Elmer Shepard following her husband's departure to fight in the Civil War, and just months before his death in July, 1862 at age 26. Select this link to read more about this story.

William/William Redux. Fast forward 26 years. The aforementioned William Elmer Shepard had run away from home as a young man, never to see his mother again. He then married a woman named Elvira Owens in Madison County, Illinois, and when their first son was born in 1888 they named him William Shepard, after William Elmer's father, the Civil War soldier, whose death had been such a devastating loss. Select this link and this link to read more about this story.

Caroline Matilda/Caroline Matilda. In a completely different part of our family, my GG grandfather William Spear married Caroline Matilda Williams, in Southern Indiana in April, 1861. She gave birth to a healthy baby girl in April of the following year, but the young mother Caroline died shortly thereafter at age 24. In January of the following year GG grandpa Spear then married his dead wife's sister Maggie Williams (on the left in the third picture). William and Maggie's first child was given the name Caroline Matilda (on the right in the picture) after William's first wife and Maggie's late sister. Select this link to read more about this story.

This particular phenomenon of naming a child for a beloved family member who died young, is a tradition with a long history in our family. Those mentioned above are just a few examples. There will surely be others in coming years. It is perfectly understandable and even admirable, and speaks volumes about the incredible strength of familial love, and the powerful need to remember and honor the past.

This weekend of Linda's 21st birthday is a time to celebrate this milestone for a wonderful and bright young woman, someone with a promising future. For those of us who knew the first Linda, it is also a time to remember with love, to ponder with tears, and to wonder what might have been. We cherish deep in our hearts a life well lived, even though it was cut short. It helps to know we are part of a great tradition of folks who did the same.
- - -
Steve Shepard

"Curiosity Never Killed This Cat", August 8, 2014

Curiosity never killed this cat.

~Studs Terkel

Hello family and friends and greetings to all of you from San Diego. A spirit of curiosity is essential in the effort to research family, hence the witty quote at the top of this page by the late Studs Terkel. At his request these words are found on his headstone. 

In my last post I shared some pictures of important family gatherings in diverse places, celebrating family events. This post will reflect that same thing with another picture of people gathered for an important family celebration, as well as some other celebrations, along with an historic 6 generation picture spread.

First of all though, I want to offer congratulations to two couples whose anniversaries were in the last few days.  Chris and Amanda Clark Farrell (Amanda is the daughter of Jerry Clark and Jane Clark Brock) were married August 6, 2006 and celebrated 8 years of marriage on Wednesday.

My niece Kelly Shepard Sauvage and her husband James were married August 5, 2000 and celebrated 14 years of marriage on Tuesday. Congratulations and best wishes to both couples!

Happy Birthday Heather. This Sunday, August 10, is the birthday of Heather Robson Cotten, daughter of Paula Tuzzolino and granddaughter of Vicki Gower Johnston. Heather, one of the 14 great grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Shannon Gower, lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband Sean and daughters Victoria and Alexandria. This weekend, however, Heather is in Oak Harbor, Washington where she was raised and where she graduated from High School. She is visiting her mom Paula and her grandmother Vicki. 

The picture above, taken earlier this summer, shows Heather with her daughters Lexi and Tori. The image below is a 6 generation family picture. Not often in my family records can I find pictures like this which span six consecutive generations and over 150 years.  

The following is a list of the names and dates of those pictured:

• Victoria Cotten (b. 2007)
• Heather Robson Cotten (b. 1976)
• Paula Harrell Tuzzolino (b. 1951)
• Vicki Gower Johnston (b. 1933)
• Nola Shannon Gower (1903-2004)
• Finetta Dearien Shannon (1861-1960)

The genealogical note for this particular post concerns Finetta Dearien, the oldest person in the picture spread above. Her mother was Roena Norton, a young woman, possibly a teen, who became pregnant with Finetta by her step father Augustus Dearien. Finetta's embarassing birth lead to the disappearance of her young mother Roena sometime after 1861 when Finetta was born. What happened to Finetta's mother Roena is a mystery that may never be solved. But the search continues. Especially for those of us with the curious spirit of Studs Terkel. 

Happy Birthday Jeremy. This coming Tuesday, August 12, is the birthday of Jeremy Ortiz, one of the 21 great grandchildren of William and Bura Davis Shepard. Originally from Gallup, New Mexico, Jeremy spent many years in San Diego, but lives today in Blue Springs, Missouri where he is a manager of Pizza Hut. 

The picture above shows Jeremy (on the left in the blue cap) with his family. Far left is his grandmother Thelma Shepard Boyd; far right is his mother Kim Boyd Clark in front of her husband Jeff Clark. To the right of Jeremy is his wife Desiree, his San Diego cousin Kori Boyd, his brother-in-law Justin Davis, and his sister Amanda. Also in this picture are Jeremy and Desiree's 5 children: twins Dominic and Isaac, Ciara, Damian and Ashlyn. This family picture was taken last weekend at a restaurant in North Kansas City, Missouri.
- - -
Steve Shepard

"Never Alone or Weary of Life", August 1, 2014

Those who dwell

among the beauties
and mysteries of the earth 

are never alone or weary of life.

~Rachel Carson

Greetings to all of you from San Diego where Cindy and I have returned after being away for most of the last few weeks. Among the family highlights of recent days were birthday gatherings to celebrate two of the youngest ones among us: Logan Joseph Shepard and William Q. Shepard. It is younger ones like these that make this family genealogical blog worthwhile. They will benefit most from telling the stories of our family and doing the research on our ancestors.

Logan Joseph Shepard's Birthday Party. Last Saturday was the birthday celebration in Bothell, Washington of Logan Joseph Shepard. His parents Patrick and Nicole Shepard did a wonderful job of putting together a great party to celebrate Logan's first birthday. The picture above was taken at the party and shows members of Nicole's Haw family on the left and members of Patrick's Shepard family on the right. In the middle is Pat and Nicole with little Logan. (Click on the picture to see a larger view.)

Select this link to view more pictures of Logan's party.

William Shepard's Birthday. This past Monday there was a birthday bash here in San Diego for William Shepard, youngest child of Nathan and Chenda Shepard. A large number of family, friends and neighbors gathered to celebrate William's second birthday. The image above includes a couple of pictures from that happy occasion. The left half of this image is a picture of daddy Nathan holding William (reaching for his birthday cupcake). Next to William is sister Preslea and brother Logan Alexander. The right half of this image is birthday boy William holding one of his gifts, being held by the givers of the gift, cousin Sean Gower and girlfriend Tracy.

Select this link to view more pictures of William's party.

Happy Birthday Lloyd.
Speaking of birthdays, today happens to be the birthday of Sean's brother Lloyd Gower, one of the great grandchildren of Leroy and Nola Gower. Lloyd is the younger son of Hershell and the late Janet Gower. Lloyd and his wife Tammy Turman Gower live in San Marcos, California. The third picture shows Tammy and Lloyd who were married in May of last year.

- - - 
Steve Shepard

A Celebratory Trifecta, July 27, 2014

The family you come from

isn't as important

as the family

you're going to have.

~Ring Lardner

Happy Birthday Barbara! Tomorrow is my sister Barbara Shepard's birthday. By some measure she becomes a senior citizen tomorrow, as hard as that is to believe about this young lady. Born and raised in San Diego, she lives today in Anacortes, Washington where she has resided for most of her life now. She lives with our mom Maida and has worked at Safeway for over 8 years. She was recently promoted and became a checker there and is enjoying the work very much.

The first picture was taken in April of this year in San Diego at the home of Chenda and Nathan Shepard, and shows Barbara and her nephew William, with whom she shares a birthday.

Happy Birthday Jeff! Also sharing a birthday tomorrow is Jeff Clark, husband of my cousin Kim Boyd Clark of Blue Springs, Missouri. The second picture shows Jeff (sitting) holding his new grandson Kyler. On the left is his son Casey and on the right is his oldest grandchild Ciara Ortiz. 

Kim: Jeff got a new grandson for his early birthday gift this year. His son Casey and wife Amanda had baby boy Kyler Zane Welch born July 18. Jeff is busy painting and sprucing up our house to get ready to sell. We are wanting to down size so we will move into one of our rentals here in town until we decide where to buy again. We will have a family dinner for his birthday and Desiree will probably make his cake. She does so well at it.

Love Is Everything. And finally, tomorrow is the birthday of our youngest grandchild William Shepard, youngest child of Nathan and Chenda Shepard of San Diego. Willie Q turns 2 years old tomorrow. He enjoys swimming (in a manner of speaking), eating, biking, eating, feeding the koi pond fish, and slides at the playground (did I say eating?). 

  

The above picture presentation features William Quincy Shepard from his birth in San Francisco through his first year at Alameda, to his most recent days in San Diego. The music is k.d. lang singing "Love is Everything."
- - -
Steve Shepard

The Western Washington Connection, July 23, 2014

The happiness of the domestic fireside

is the first boon of Heaven.

~Thomas Jefferson

Greetings to all of you from Anacortes, Washington where Cindy and I are visiting Shepard and Gower family. Anacortes in particular and Western Washington in general has become home to my mom and all my siblings in the last 36 years -- interestingly the same number of years that mom lived in San Diego. Southern California was home to all of us until mom and dad's move to the Northwest in 1978. Today Cindy and I and our kids are the lone "hold outs" in our immediate family who still reside in Southern California. 

Logan's First Birthday! One of my Washingtonian siblings is my brother Darrell Shepard. Tomorrow, July 24 is the first birthday of the grandson of Darrell and his wife Mary. Logan Joseph Shepard was born last July in Bothell, Washington where he and his parents Patrick and Nicole still live today. 

Patrick: Logan's birthday is a very exciting time. We have had quite an adventure his first year. Logan has been so strong and is making great strides and doing great! We love him more and more each day. He has been such a blessing to Nicole and I, and we thank God for him every day. We are celebrating with a big party at our house. Next we look forward to welcoming Logan's brother in December! Attached is a picture that was taken in San Diego just a few weeks ago, in fact [Steve] took the picture!

Happy Birthday to Logan and best wishes, good health and even more positive development in the coming year!

Happy Birthday Shannon! July 24 is also the birthday of Shannon Wilk who lives with her daughter Emma in Atchison, Kansas. Shannon, who was born and raised in San Diego, is the daughter of Phil Wilk and my cousin Beverly Russell Wilk, the second grandchild of Will and Bura Davis Shepard. The second picture was taken last month and shows Shannon on the left with a couple of friends boating on a lake during the July 4th holiday.

Shannon: The picture is with Erin and Mason. They are family without the blood! lol. We were at Paradise Lake in Effingham, Ks for the fireworks they have there.

I mentioned earlier in this post that in 1978 my parents Eugene and Maida Shepard first moved to Anacortes, Washington from San Diego. That move began a migration to the Northwest that eventually included most of their immediate family. One of their first return trips to Southern California was in 1981, the year the third picture was taken.


Cars and The Stories They Tell. In this picture is my 22 year old sister Barbara, standing in front of her sporty yellow Pontiac Ventura, which she drove to Southern California from Anacortes, Washington in the fall of that year with Dad Eugene Shepard and brother Russell. The picture was taken in front of the home of Cindy and me in Los Alamitos, 100 miles up the road from San Diego. It was a special occasion for the family of Eugene and Maida to share a few days together. We had all lived in San Diego for most of our lives, and were still getting used to living 1,500 miles apart. 

Barb tells me that not long before the trip to SoCal, Dad took her to a car lot in Anacortes, pointed out the yellow Pontiac Ventura and said, "That's your car if you want it. I'll put some money down and make the first two payments, and you take it from there."  She took him up on the offer and drove home with the first car she ever owned. From her body posture and the look on her face in this picture, you can see that she took great pride in ownership. If there was one thing our Dad enjoyed doing, it was buying used cars, tinkering with them and traveling in them. In this particular case he helped Barbara buy the car and then shared the experience of making a trip back home to see family and friends in San Diego. 

Cindy and I are in Anacortes right now continuing that 36 year tradition of traveling between Western Washington and San Diego to be reunited with family.
- - -
Steve Shepard

More Cars and More Stories, July 17, 2014

When we try to pick out anything by itself,

we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.

~John Muir

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wedding Bells in California, July 10, 2014

Only in the family can so many extremes

be reconciled and synthesized.

Only in the family do we have a lifetime

in which to do it.

~Letty Cottin Pogrebin

Greetings to all of you from the mountains of California's Sierra Nevada. Cindy and I and our granddaughter Preslea are enjoying the trails and views, the flora and fauna of one of the most beautiful places on earth. In the early 1950s, when I was a pre-schooler, my family, including my grandparents Leroy and Nola Gower, first introduced me to this remarkable area. It is now our turn to share with our granddaughter the wonders of this scenic treasure.

The first picture was taken yesterday and shows Preslea, Cindy and me with the crest of the Sierra Nevada, including The Minarets, behind us.

Remem- bering Nola Shannon Gower. Speaking of my Gower grandparents, it was 10 years ago yesterday that my grandmother Nola Shannon Gower died. At 101 years old she was the oldest person in our family that I ever knew, but more importantly she was a wonderful human being: down home, resourceful, resilient, faithful, healthy, and always respectful of family. She will always be remembered as a remarkable person whose influence is reflected in her descendants when at their best.

Congratu- lations Joan and Dee! Congratu- lations to my cousin Joan Shepard, one of the grandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard, and the daughter of the late Elmer and Beryl Shepard. Joan and her partner Dee Shannon were married this past Monday in Davis, California in a beautiful family gathering at the U.C. Davis Arboretum. The ceremony included their 3 children and a few other family members, including Cindy and me and our granddaughter Preslea. It was my privilege to officiate at the ceremony. The second picture shows Dee and Joan and me right after the ceremony.

The third picture shows our larger Shepard family 47 years ago in a holiday gathering at Elmer and Beryl Shepard's home outside San Diego in 1967. 

I am including this picture because in it are the Shepards mentioned in the previous paragraph: Joan (far left), William and Bura (near left), Elmer (far right) and Beryl (just right of center), and myself (behind Beryl). Also included in this family picture are most of the other children and grandchildren of Will and Bura Shepard at the time: Beverly, Barbara, Pauline, Phil, Russell, Kim, Dane, Rex, Ellen, Eric, Eugene, Darrell, Maida, Linda and Bill.
- - -
Steve Shepard

The Most Prolific Father Among Us, July 3, 2014

Let us not seek to satisfy

our thirst for freedom 

by drinking from the cup

of bitterness and hatred.

~Martin Luther King

Happy Independence Day tomorrow! Ours is definitely an all American family with ancestors that can be traced to the earliest days of our nation and even several generations on this soil before the U.S. came into being. We can also proudly claim to be a truly American family with some recent immigrants being an important part of the mix, in the best tradition of our great nation.

Elvira Owens (1865-1931). July 1 was the 149th anniversary of the birth of my great grandmother Elvira Owens (1865-1931). She was born and raised in the farming community of New Douglas in Madison County, Illinois as the Civil War was winding down. She was the second youngest of the 8 children of Peyton and Mary Owens, who were significant land owners.

She married my great grandfather William Elmer Shepard in 1886, and with him had two children, William and Sadie. In about 1905 the 4 of them were the first of our Shepard family to move to the Oklahoma territory. Elvira outlived William by 16 years and after his death married a second time to Cal Williams. She and both her husbands are buried in Sophia Cemetery in Beaver County, Oklahoma.

Happy Anniversary Heather and Sean Cotten. July 1 was also the 14th Wedding Anniversary of Heather and Sean Cotten of San Antonio, Texas (see first picture). Heather is the daughter of my cousin Paula Tuzzolino and granddaughter of Vicki Gower Johnston of Oak Harbor, Washington. Happy Anniversary and best wishes to Heather and Sean and their daughters Victoria and Alexandria.

Happy Birthday Desiree Ortiz. This Sunday, July 6, is the birthday of Desiree Ortiz, wife of Jeremy Ortiz who is one of the Great Great Grandchildren of Elvira Owens Shepard. Desiree, Jeremy and their children live in Blue Springs, Missouri, not far from Jeremy's grandmother Thelma Shepard Boyd, and his mom Kim Clark and her husband Jeff Clark.

It has been just a few weeks since Father's Day, so I am still in the mode of considering ourstanding fathers in our family. Jeremy is one such outstanding father. He and Desiree deserve special mention for having more children than any couple in our family in over half a century. With our 21st century sensitivities, it may not be "politically correct" to talk about this, but as an historian of our family I am compelled to mention it. (Besides, it is politically INcorrect to be politically correct these days!)

On this weekend of Independence Day it is worth noting that this robust spirit of fatherhood has made our country what it is today. The second picture, taken last December, shows Jeremy and Desiree on the right with their 5 children. In the upper left are Jeremy's siblings Scott (with girl friend Christa) and Amanda (with husband Justin).

You have to go back to 1962 -- 52 years ago -- to find a father in our family who had more than 5 children. That was the year my father Eugene Shepard celebrated the birth of my youngest brother Russell Shepard, the last of his and Maida's 6 children. In the 1960s, a family of 6 children was somewhat unusual but not too uncommon. I was number two in that sextet, so I can speak from experience and say that growing up in a family that large was a happy experience and special in its own way. My mom will have to speak to the parental challenges of a family that large, but I can say with confidence that we never lacked for anything essential. (For the sake of full disclosure, I must admit my memory is not what it used to be.) 

Jeremy, the father of 5, would, of course, be considered a "slacker" by the standards of 100 years ago when it was common for couples in our family to have numerous children. Three of my 4 grandparents were from families of 7 or more children. But times change, and these days, as we all know, couples have fewer children than they did a few generations ago.


I will leave it to the experts to explain all the reasons why things have changed. For now we celebrate the accomplishment of the most prolific father among us, Jeremy Ortiz, and wish him and Desiree the very best as parents.

Happy Birthday, Nate! This coming Monday, July 7, is the 12th birthday of Nathaniel Sauvage, the older son of James and Kelly Shepard Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas. The third picture shows Nate with his mother Kelly on the left and his cousin Lyndsey Aquiningoc on the right.

Mom Kelly: Nate is going to be 12 on the 7th. Can't believe he will be a pre teen! Nate is a whiz at video games. He came to work with me one day, went to the computer animation class, and beat three high school students at the game. The teacher was so impressed he now wants to go straight to high school. Lol! Nate is still the most loving boy I've ever met. He always wants to give everyone a hug and tell them they are beautiful and have a wonderful day. He still melts my heart and the hearts of everyone around him. He loves swimming, playing games, going on vacations and hanging out with his friends.
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Steve Shepard