Shepard Family Update, 080808

Dear Shepard family members and friends,

What a pleasant summer this is turning out to be! And not just up our way in the mountains. Down the hill, in the Valley and the Bay Area, triple digit days have been few and far between this year. Nathan would say, "See the Global Warming scare is NOT all it is touted to be!" I would bite my tongue in face of such political comments, and simply appreciate the fact that the weather has been relatively pleasant.

But from what I hear, that is not true for all of you. Blessings on you if you are having to endure hot, muggy weather. However, everything is relative when it comes to weather. I talked to Mom in Washington a few days ago and said, "We are having cool weather here." She replied, "We are having hot weather here." Turns out we were both talking about temperatures in the 80s!

080808: On this day 5 years ago my dad, Eugene Shepard, died. On this day 86 years ago, Cindy's dad, Joe Harris, was born. This is also the day the China Summer Olympics start. And it is a day the casinos claim is the luckiest day of the year. (Yeah, right.) It is also "the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

I received some more pictures of the July family reunion this past week from Barbara. Thanks so much! Nathan invites any of you to visit the online location for his pictures from the reunion.

I am including two family pictures for your viewing pleasure. The first one is a picture Barbara took at the family reunion and shows Kim and Jeff Clark from Blue Springs Missouri. The picture also shows the words that were on the wall of the social hall where we met, that spoke eloquently of our time together: "Welcome home... one in Christ Jesus," from Galatians 3.

The other is a picture of Eugene Shepard and Joe Harris (click on the picture to see a larger view of it) and their respective daughters, on what was among the happiest days of their lives. Joe is walking Cindy down the aisle of the La Mesa Church of Christ in December, 1968. Gene is walking Linda down the aisle of the Linda Vista Church of Christ in August, 1970.

I failed to mention in my last email that early last week we had two birthdays in our family. Happy Birthday to Barbara Shepard and Jeff Clark! They both share July 28 as their day of birth. Not the same year, but within 1 year of each other!

Here's a brain teaser for you: Barbara and Jeff both were born in a YEAR that starts with 5, but only one now is at an AGE that starts with 5.

Figure it out. The first one to do so and email me wins a prize.

Also Happy Birthday to Jeremy Ortiz, Kim Clark's older son, in El Cajon, Ca. He turns 28 this coming Tuesday.
- - -
Steve

Shepard Family Update, Aug 1

Dear Shepard family members and friends,

Hello from California where the summer is working its way through a pretty pleasant stage here, especially for this first day of August. We are still mulling over the experience of being together in Washington two weeks ago for the family reunion and hoping that all of us who came from out of state made it home okay, especially Jeff and Kim Clark who drove all the way from Missouri.

Last week I had no more than made a request for some reunion pictures when here came several pictures by email! Thanks to Jerry Clark for the wonderful photos he took, two of which are attached to this posting.

The first one is a picture of Gary Shepard and his two daughters and 3 of his grandkids. On the left is Gary's youngest Kelly Sauvage. Her son Nate is in front on the right. Next to Kelly is Mandi Aquiningoc whose mom Kerri is in the soccer shirt. On the right is Kerri's older daughter Lyndsey. Everyone in the picture except Gary lives in Weatherford, Texas. Not in the picture are Gary's son Jason Shepard, and his other grandchild Kyle Sauvage, both of who were unable to be at the reunion.

The other picture (click on the picture to enlarge it) shows all 29 of us who attended the family reunion. Shall I try to name them all? Okay here goes... Seated in chairs are me (Steve) and Cindy, Kim Clark (husband Jeff is on the far back left), Vicki Gower, Maida and Gary. Down in front are Linda and Cindy. Back row from left to right are Patrick, Nicole, Jeff, Rachel, Christopher, Amber, Samantha, Kelly, Mary, Lyndsey, Nate, Darrell, Mandi, Nathan, Barbara, Kerri, Steven, Pam, Russ, Cathrina and Jerry. Thanks to Jerry for looking so calm and cool after setting his camera and rushing to get in the picture!

What about next year? Can we plan a date when the family can gather again? I have asked some of you if it would be possible to plan a gathering somewhere in the Texas/New Mexico/Oklahoma/Missouri part of the country. That way those of you who live back there would not have so far to go, and those of us here on the west coast would have the farther distance to travel. Would some of you give it some thought and let us know? I have found that if you can plan something by Christmas it is usually enough time to get the word out.

Do you miss seeing an OLD family picture in these postings? Me, too. Maybe next week.
- - -
Steve

Shepard Family Update, July 25, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello on this Friday after the family reunion. The dust has settled and we are relaxed a bit after all the energy and effort and hard work that went into the family reunion last Saturday in Anacortes, Washington. It was a very special occasion, as anyone who was there can tell you. 29 of us were together, about half of us from in and around Anacortes, and the other half from around western Washington, the Kansas City area, Weatherford and Lubbock, Texas, and San Francisco and Dorrington, California.

Special thanks go to Barbara and Maida Shepard and the other locals who provided places to stay and helped make all the arrangements. And to (Gary's) Cindy for the keepsake cups that were provided for the occasion. And to Kim Clark who came from so far away with her husband Jeff and brought lots of old photos.

We shared a wonderful meal and visited with some family members we don't get to see very often. Some of us even met other family members for the first time -- new spouses, young children, distant relatives. We looked at lots of old and new pictures -- some black and white photographs from 50 or more years ago, some digital pictures in a PowerPoint presentation, and some baby pictures that made us belly laugh when they were identified.

We acknowledged the oldest and youngest persons among us (the winners were Maida Shepard of Anacortes and her great grandson Nate Sauvage of Weatherford, Texas); as well as those who had come the farthest (Jeff and Kim Clark of Blue Springs, Missouri). But most of all we simply celebrated the family that we are -- very diverse in age, vocation, appearance, life style and home location, but united as one in love and respect for the ties that bind us and the shared history that brings us together.

Family Faces. And of course we took pictures. Lots of pictures. I had a difficult time selecting just two for this posting (more will be forthcoming). My camera was one of the few that did NOT get a picture of the WHOLE group, so I need Jeff or Jerry or Gary or someone else to send me a picture or two that was taken of the entire family group. I want to share that picture in the next posting. Would one or more of you please do that? I would appreciate it very much.

The first picture today shows Maida Shepard and her children and their spouses (click on the picture to enlarge it). In the back row, left to right, are Pam and Russ Shepard, Barbara Shepard, Darrell and Mary Shepard, and Cathrina and Jerry Clark. On the front row are Cindy and Steve Shepard (me), and Maida, Gary and Cindy Shepard. You can see from the smiles -- and from Darrell's imitation of the historic "Russell pose" (hint: the hands tell it all) - that we had WAY too much fun with this photo session, as we did with the entire day! ;-)

The other picture shows three of the beautiful teenagers that were with us, Linda Shepard of Anacortes (Russ and Pam's little girl) on the left, and then Lyndsey and Mandi Aquiningoc (Kerri's daughters, Gary's granddaughters) from Weatherford, Texas.

If you would like a CD of the Powerpoint Presentation that I showed at the reunion, please send me your physical address and I will send you a copy. It shows about 200 old and new family pictures, including the oldest family picture I have, of Edmond Owens, who was my grandad's great grandfather on his mother's side.

Do you have other comments or reflections or pictures of the family reunion? Send them my way and I will be glad to pass them on to everyone else.

It came to my attention that I missed the birthday of Nathaniel Sauvage, who turned 6 years old on the 7th of this month. Happy Birthday to Nate Sauvage!, whose proud parents are James and Kelly Shepard Sauvage of Weatherford Texas. Any other birthdays I missed?
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, July 18, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Well here we are at long last - the family reunion is tomorrow. Almost 7 months ago when I first started with these family messages, it seemed like such a long time off! I wondered at that time how I would ever have enough to say, enough pictures to post, and enough interest to carry us to July. But here we are! The time has flown by. Thanks for your many responses. You can look forward to more family messages -- even if not EVERY week. In the next few messages I am planning to include information about how things went at the reunion and show some pictures.

We are looking forward to a beautiful day in Northwest Washington tomorrow, which is not unusual for this time of the year. Many people here have a hard time with all the rain this region gets, but there is an up side. It makes for some glorious sights when the sun comes out, and the mountains and trees and water and sky show how lovely the creation can be!

There will be ample room for us in the Anacortes Christian Church fellowship hall when we gather at 12 noon. After all, ours is not a large family. I was talking with a person just the other day who is one of 11 children, and her mother is one of 12 children! Can you imagine family reunions with hundreds of people? That is not us. We are expecting maybe 25 or 30 people tomorrow, and that will be a fine family gathering, if you ask me.

Fascinating Family Fact. There was a time when families were much larger on average than they are today. Not too many generations ago, times were tough and families needed all the help they could get to "make a go of it" on the farm. The more children you bore, the more hands you would have to work the farm.

Will and Bura Shepard and their descendants have not had large families. He was from a family of only 2 children (2 others died in infancy); she was from a good sized family of 7 children. They had 4 children themselves. Those 4 in turn had families with an average of only 3 children (2, 2, 6 and 2). There have been 18 marriages among all the descendants of Will and Bura Shepard. From all those unions, 38 children have been born, an average of only 2.1 children per marriage, a rather modest figure even by today's standards. Let that be the fascinating family fact for this week.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a picture of Bura Davis as a teenager. I don't know the exact date of the picture, but it was taken before she married William Shepard at age 18 in 1915. What would you guess her age is in this picture?

The other picture was taken earlier this year of Thelma Boyd (on the left), her granddaughter Amanda Ortiz next to her, then Shannon Wilk with her daughter Emma, and Thelma's daughter Kim on the right. Kim is the only one of this family group who will be with us at the reunion. We will miss the others and hope that the next family reunion will be different with even more family and friends able to attend.

Family News. Last week I mentioned that Havilah Colgain's father Art Colgain and his wife Jill were in a car accident in Utah and that Havilah had gone there to be with them. Art was released from the hospital, but Jill remained in critical condition until just a few days ago when she passed away.

I received an email from Joan Shepard, Havilah's mother, on Wednesday this past week.

"Jill died around 5:00 P.M. yesterday [Tuesday]. Havilah was with her and said that her transition was peaceful. Family and friends will celebrate Jill's life on Saturday, first at the church building then at the Colgain home. We all appreciate the love and inspiration that everyone has offered. I know Havilah has felt the presence of those praying and sending affection. I'll be thankful when Havilah can return, probably next week, though I know Art will miss her."

As a large part of our family meets and enjoys ourselves tomorrow, we cannot help but be mindful of those who will not be with us, especially Joan, Havilah, Art and their loved ones. Our prayers and very best wishes are with them in their grief and loss.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, July 11, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello on this smoky day in our part of the world. Since Cindy and I live in a forested area of Northern California, we alway get nervous when the fires starting burning like they are now. There are none burning in our immediate area, but the sun stays a reddish color from the smoke of the fires that still rage 40 or more miles away. It makes for beautiful sunsets, but the air quality is not good, and is a constant reminder that the next fire could be much closer.

Our Shepard family reunion is next weekend on Saturday, July 19, 2008, at the Anacortes Christian Church fellowship hall (12th St at M Ave) in Anacortes, Washington. We will gather at 12 noon, meet and greet one another, enjoy a catered Barbeque meal, laugh at old and new family pictures displays, view a pictorial family tree, and much more.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? There are about 70 living members of our family today. About 25 of them will be at the reunion next weekend. I mentioned two weeks ago that the family descendants of William and Bura Shepard number 82 people. But that number included 12 people who have died, which leaves about 70 living members of the family. That includes family births as well as those who have married into the family. The largest portion of that 70 is Eugene and Maida Shepard's part of the family, with their 6 children and their individual families.

Since we have not been in touch with Pauline's son Rex Russell and his family for several years, we are not sure how many new births there may be in that part of the family. So the number of living family members may actually be a little larger. With the number of older teenagers and young adults in our family right now, some of us are thinking that number of 70 will grow soon. In other words we may be looking at a modest baby boom in the next 5 to 10 years, a heartening thought as we look to the future.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a picture which I received recently from a long lost cousin named Roberta Owens Brooks of San Antonio. She is a distant relative of ours who saw our family tree on ancestry.com and contacted me. This picture is of our common ancestor Edmond Owens (1795-1864), her great great grandfather, who was Grandad William Shepard's great Grandfather (through his mother Elvira Owens). I am very grateful to Roberta for sending me this picture.

To be completely honest Roberta did mention to me that she is only fairly certain the picture is Edmond Owens. (The back of the picture says "Grandad Owens", an ambiguous reference! A word to the wise -- when you label photos, give the person's NAME, not "grandma" or "my uncle".) The person in the picture could be Edmond's son Payton Owens (1826-1872, who was Grandad William Shepard's grandfather). In either case this is now the oldest family picture I have, probably taken during or before the Civil War. Edmond Owens was born in 1795. How old would YOU say he looks in this picture?

The other picture is of a family gathering back in 1990 at the Shepard family home in Anacortes. It shows Maida and Eugene Shepard, on the left. Then from left to right are Russ Shepard, Steve, Cindy and Nathan Shepard, Mary and Darrell Shepard, and Barbara and John Clay. In front are Steven Paul Shepard, Pam his mother, and Rachel and Christopher Shepard.

Family News. This past week I sent out an email regarding the traffic accident in Utah involving Havilah's father Art Colgain and his wife Jill. Havilah Colgain Reynolds is Joan Shepard Colgain's daughter. Last I heard Jill was still in critical condition, Art had been released from the hospital, and Havilah was on her way from her home in Auburn, California to be with her dad in Utah. Does anyone have a more recent update? Our prayers and best wishes are with them all.
--
Steve

Shepard Family Update, July 4

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello on this July 4th mid-summer holiday! I hope you are all able to enjoy this day with family and friends. Cindy and I are doing something a little different this year -- enjoying a quiet holiday at home alone. Nathan is vacationing in Southeast Asia -- of all places! -- but will be home in time for the three of us to go to Anacortes in two weeks for the family reunion.

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? On this July 4th holiday it is interesting to note that our family has been almost entirely rooted in the U.S. since before its founding in 1776. Drive around any U.S. town or city today and you will see a large percentage of citizens who are first or second generation Americans. And the number is growing rapidly. But of all the family roots that converge into Will and Bura Shepard, the one that winds its way back to another country first is traced through Gram's (Bura Davis') mother, Caroline Spear (see pictures of her in messages dated June 6 and June 20). Her great grandfather was an Irishman named James Spear, born in County Armaugh, Ireland in 1768.

James Spear came to the U.S. as a young man -- probably not long after 1776. He married an American born woman from Delaware named Elizabeth McConnahaw, had 12 children with her (!), and eventually died in Belmont County, Ohio in 1821. He is the first person I can find among all the ancestors of Will and Bura Shepard who was born in another country. In other words, you have to go back 240 years -- before there was a United States -- to find a single ancestor in Will and Bura's family tree born in another country. To me this is pretty amazing. And we are talking here about ALL the ancestors of Will and Bura, going back four generations before them. The amount of U.S. history experienced first hand by these ancestors is staggering. It covers the entire history of our nation -- every president, every war, every milestone, every single July 4th holiday ever celebrated.

Now to be sure, there are a few gaps in the information I have on the roots of our family, especially in Grandad's (William Shepard's) paternal line before the civil war. So there may be an exception to what I'm saying, but it's unlikely. This, of course, refers only to the ancestors of Will and Bura Shepard. We each have other ancestors named Gower or Boyd or Russell, etc., who are are a different story altogether.

Family Faces: I am including two family pictures. The first is a picture that Dane sent me a while back, taken at a family gathering, probably in Valley Center (near Escondido, Calif.) at the home of Rod and Violet Ramirez. Left to right in the picture are: Gary and Cindy Shepard; Bill and Pauline Russell; Carl, Phil and Shannon Wilk; Steve, Cindy and Nathan Shepard; and Dane Shepard. I am guessing the year this picture was taken is 1983 or 84, based on Nathan, who looks to be 6 or 7. Can any of you make a better guess?

The other is a picture of 5 of Maida Shepard's grandkids in Anacortes, Washington. Taken in the summer of 2002, it shows -- starting from the bottom left -- Steven, Rachel, Patrick, Linda and Christopher Shepard. Steven and Linda are children of Russ and Pam Shepard; and Rachel, Pat and Chris are children of Darrell and Mary Shepard.

Celebrations: Congratulations to Jerry Clark and to Jane Brock on the birth of their third grandchild last Saturday! Miller Sims Cave was born to Matthew and Becky Clark Cave in Weatherford, Texas.
- - -
Steve

Shepard Family Update, June 27, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello to all of you, wherever you may be. In California, Washington, Kansas, Missouri, New York, Texas, New Mexico or Oklahoma - whew!

Fascinating Family Fact: Did you know? William Shepard and Bura Davis were married in Beaver County, Oklahoma, 93 years ago this month. The fact that they chose to get married on her father's 45th birthday suggests something of the warmth and close bond that the family shared.

Little did Will and Bura know at the time that the two of them would be the progenitors of a family that, over the next hundred years, would include over 82 people! (One family birth or one marriage every year or so since they were married!) Even less could they have known that their descendants would live in a world where communication can occur across thousands of miles almost instantaneously by this wonderful thing called email. But what they did know is that their love of God and one another -- a love that they gladly shared with their children and grandchildren -- was a powerful bond that gave meaning and purpose to their lives. And for that we can all be thankful to God and remember them with immense appreciation and humility.

Speaking of email, one of my purposes in sending the weekly messages is to share family pictures with all of you. Not just so that you can enjoy them, but so that you can save them and share them with others. Every family photograph any of us has will continue to deteriorate, but the quality of digital images will never deteriorate. They will be the same or better when our grand children's grand children (and beyond) view them. So please feel free to save all the pictures I send onto your own computer. If you don't know how to save the pictures, ask one of the young people in your midst -- they probably do!

If you have other old or new family photos to share with the rest of us, please send them my way. Share the wealth! It is a great way to celebrate the family we are, to keep the memories alive, and to leave something valuable for those family members yet to be born.

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is a picture of Gram and Grandad on their wedding day in Beaver County Oklahoma in 1915, next to a picture of them at their 60th anniversary celebration in San Diego in 1975. They only celebrated one more anniversary together, since Grandad passed away in 1976. Gram died 10 years later and lived her last years with Maida and Gene Shepard in Anacortes, Washington.

The other is a picture of "the Yaya's" on their latest adventure. It was taken just last week at the Bandelier Indian ruins, a national monument in New Mexico. Pictured, left to right, are Cindy Shepard, Paula Harris, Barbara Shepard and Maida Shepard. Not pictured is Jane Clark who was planning to attend but had to cancel out at the last minute. Her father fell and was hospitalized with a broken hip (thankfully, he is out of the hospital now), AND her third grandchild was (and still is!) expected at any time. Our prayers and best wishes go out to Jane and her family. During the Yaya trip, we had a wonderful visit with Terry and Thelma Boyd of Gallup, New Mexico.

Just a few weeks away: Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. Cindy and Nathan and I are looking forward to it very much. We hope you are too! If you will be UNABLE to attend, send a note or an email that can be read when we gather, so that we can hear how you and your loved ones are doing.
- - -
Steve

Shepard Family Update, June 20, 2008

Dear Family members and friends,

Hello on this day before the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer. Cindy and I are in Santa Fe, New Mexico with the Yayas, a group of women in our family who gather each year some place around the country (see the blog entry, dated May 2 for more about them). What am I doing in this august group, you ask? Depends on who you talk to. Some say I am the "yo-yo" of the group (but don't listen to them!). Others consider me "homeland security" (spoken in a serious tone).

I mentioned in last week's email that this summer I will not have quite as much time to do these messages each week. However, I DO plan to continue them on a weekly basis at least until the family reunion. That was my commitment originally. If you would like to receive them after that, please let me know. I find it valuable for us to communicate this way, even if not EVERY week. So let me know what you think. And let me know of news in your part of the family that I can share with others.

Fascinating Family Trivia: Did you know? There is a small neighborhood in the eastern part of Calgary, Canada by the name of "Shepard." It was annexed by the city of Calgary in July, 2007. "Shepard Settlement" is a tiny community in the northeastern part of Skaneateles, New York, and got its name from early settlers in the area. "Shepard's Citations" is a list of all the authorities citing a particular legal case. It got its name from Frank Shepard (1848-1900) when he began publishing these lists. Among lawyers, "Shepardizing" is a term referring to the process of consulting Shepard's Citations. (These bits of Shepard trivia came from Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia.)

I am sure you know of famous people with the last name of Shepard (e.g. Sam Shepard, Alan Shepard, Linda Mae Dawn Shepard) but there is a growing tendency for people to give their children the FIRST name "Shepard." Just a couple of examples are Shepard Smith (a well known TV newscaster on FOX), Shepard Kopp (a big name attorney in Los Angeles), and lesser known Shepard Fairey, a contemporary artist and illistrator. Do you know of others?

Family Faces. I am including two family pictures. The first is an old, old picture of Gram's mother (the young woman on the right) Caroline ("Callie") Spear Davis (1865-1951), and Gram's grandmother, Margaret ("Maggie") Williams Spear (1845-1904). The picture was taken about 1880, probably in Spencer, Indiana (where they both were born). It is the oldest family photo that I have seen. Thanks to Dane for sending me this picture from his dad Elmer's photo collection.

The other picture is of Kim Clark and her three children, Scott, Amanda and Jeremy Ortiz, and Kim's niece Kori Lynn Boyd (in front). Scott's 23rd birthday was last week. (Has anyone EVER seen Jeremy with the bill of his cap in front!?)

Congratulations to Kori's parents Darren and Vicki Boyd whose 20th wedding anniversary is this coming Wednesday! In addition, Happy Birthday to Vicki this Sunday!

Remember: Four weeks from tomorrow - Shepard Family Reunion, Saturday, July 19, 2008, Anacortes, Washington. We will gather at the Anacortes Christian Church fellowship hall, 1211 M Ave, Anacortes. A delicious barbeque lunch will be prepared for us as we renew our family ties. We will also have some family picture displays, a large pictorial family tree, possibly some family entertainment, and lots of time for visiting.
- - -
Steve

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