Eric "Shep" Lorenzo Sheppard

Eric Lorenzo Sheppard ‘Shep’ was born in Harbour Grace NF in 1947 - the son of Harold Ross Sheppard and Gladys Mary Sheppard (Carew). He fiercely protected and mercilessly tormented his 3 brothers and 3 sisters until heading off to University at the age of 16 - but not before spending his summers perfecting his fish filleting technique at the fish plant - a skill he would later pass on to his son, son-in-law and grandsons. Initially planning to enroll in Engineering at Memorial University, he changed his mind when he noticed his buddies sign up for the Commerce program and went on to graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1967.

His early years in Finance brought him to the shores of Halifax, Nova Scotia where on a blind date he had the good fortune to meet Mary (Horne), his future wife of 48 years. Newlyweds Eric and Mary found themselves in Toronto where Eric worked for the Bank of Montreal. The booming oil patch of the 80’s drew Eric out west - first to Edmonton with BMO and then Calgary with Dominion Securities followed by a tenure with Dome Petroleum and then Petro-Canada.

An entrepreneur to his core, Eric left the world of finance in 1990 to pursue a career franchising Robin’s Donuts in the Maritime Provinces. Starting from scratch and working out of his basement with Mary by his side, he built his business over the next 20 years, officially retiring in 2010. His passion for this business never flagged and he continued in a consultancy role with the company until the last year of his life. Enamored with NASA’s motto ‘Never Give Up’, he gave everything to ensuring the success of his business - inspiring those he worked with to excellence.

Eric loved his family above all else and was their constant and unshakable pillar of support. He adored his friends, golf, good food (Is the fish fresh?), coffee, crypto-quotes, his Timex watch, the Grand Caravan, his pepper grinder, his famous Caesar salad dressing, toothpicks and country music. Evenings spent around the campfire featuring Eric’s smooth tenor and spirited guitar strumming were family favourites.

Eric faced significant health challenges over the last 20 years of his life with uncommon bravery and stoicism. He firmly believed ‘You play the hand you’re dealt’ whatever the cards. Eric will be forever loved and deeply missed by his wife, Mary, daughter Erin (Patrick), son Leigh (Stephanie), grandchildren Devlin, Grayson, Lucy and Molly, brothers Harold (Judy), Keith and Ross, sisters Deanne, Judy (Gil) and Lilian (Tony) as well as countless friends and neighbours gathered over a lifetime well lived and a hand well played. Rest easy, Shep.