Richard L. Shepherd

Born in Kansas City, Missouri on August 11, 1930, Richard was the second of seven children born to Gerald Eugene and Frances Elizabeth Raab Shepherd.

Richard attended Catholic schools in Kansas City and entered the working world as an employee of the railroad. He soon moved on to structural steel work, an essential job during WWII. He spent the bulk of his early working years walking high steel and constructing buildings and bridges as a member of Kansas City’s Steel Works Union Local 10. After retiring from his full career as a steel worker, he specialized in setting elevator structures and dabbled in real estate and banking for a time.

Richard embraced his life with vigor and discipline. He was committed to hard work while understanding the value of saving and investing his dollar. He enjoyed hunting with his buddies and rarely shied away from competition or an opportunity to demonstrate his strength in an arm wrestling match. With equal measure, he made a lifelong commitment to maintaining his health with diet and exercise.

Richard’s spirit of vitality was exhibited in a variety of pastimes and passions that lasted on throughout his retirement. He took great interest in genealogy, the stock market, and engineering marvels. He cheered on his Kansas City Chiefs and enthusiastically supported our troops - including his enlisted granddaughter, Jennifer. He enjoyed classical, bluegrass, and big jazz music and the arts. He relished the camaraderie and competition of a good billiards game. He found joy in ballroom dancing with Rose and in spending time with his grand- and great-grandkids.

Richard and his wife Alice, predeceased, were the parents of two daughters, Alice Lea, who is predeceased, and Nancy Rae. Richard has five living grandchildren, Jennifer Shepherd of Kansas City, Trhea Danae of Los Angeles, California, and Michael Brian, Richard Carl, and Audra Malene of Orlando, Florida. Richard was the doting great-grandfather of nine great-grandchildren. Two brothers, Gerald and Raymond, and two sisters, Cathleen and Mary Francis, all predeceased. He is survived by two sisters, Patricia Lea of San Bernardino, California, and Julie Ann Salley of Montgomery, Alabama.

Richard’s eternal resting place will be in Gillam Park, in Kansas City, Missouri. Gillam Park was just blocks away from the Shepherd house and served all of the Shepherd kids for picnics, outdoor plays, swimming and meeting friends. Richard often reminisced about his wonderful experiences there. Summers were filled with baseball games and hide and go seek. Winters would find him sledding down the hills and playing in the snow with family, friends and neighbors. As Richard put it, "it was the best time of my life.”

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM, November 5, at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Funeral Home in Gotha, Florida.

Fond memories and condolences may be offered to the family at www.woodlawnfuneralhomegotha.com.