Isaac "Ike" Sheppard

Isaac Sheppard, Jr. was born in Columbus, Ohio, on February 12, 1935, to Isaac Sheppard, Sr. and Ruth Evelyn Sheppard.

He graduated from Northwestern High School in Wayne County, Ohio, in 1953.

He attended Michigan State University on scholarship, but he worked on campus and built pole barns in the summer to pay his expenses. He graduated in 1957 with a B.S. in Agricultural Engineering. At Michigan State, he was a proud member of FarmHouse Fraternity and Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honorary. He continued to be active with the MSU Chapter of FarmHouse until recently as Chairman of the Building Committee of the Alumni Association.

Ike went to Purdue for further studies and obtained his M.S. in 1958. He then went to work for National Homes in Lafayette, IN.

In 1961, Ike met and married his wife, the former Donna Lee Culbertson on August 13, 1961, in Indianapolis, IN. Ike returned to Michigan State in order to pursue his doctorate. After he completed the coursework, he did his research while working as chief engineer at Michigan Timber and Truss. He received his Ph.D. in December 1968.

In April 1968, he left Michigan Timber and Truss to become a private structural consultant. This was the start of what became Sheppard Engineering, Inc., an engineering and architectural consulting firm located in Troy, Michigan. Ike served as president until 2001, at which time he sold the firm. Shortly afterwards, he once again began work as a private structural consultant under the name of Sheppard Structural Consulting. He continued with that career full time until his retirement on September 1, 2018.

Ike was an active member of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church. He was an enthusiastic supporter of education. He served on the Board of Trustees at Adrian College for 21 years. He taught two classes at Lawrence University and frequently taught classes for Building Officials. He also enjoyed doing some tutoring in a grade school and for Michigan Literacy after he retired. His very favorite activity, though, was being “Santa” at various places during December.

Ike is survived by his wife of almost 62 years, Donna; two sons, Christopher (Anne) and Jonathan (Yumi); three grandsons, Benjamin, Samuel, and Jiro; and one granddaughter, Mirai. He is also survived by one brother, Richard (Elizabeth) and a brother-in-law, Don (Nancy) Culbertson. He was predeceased by a daughter, Lorin Sheppard, and a brother, Berton (Gina) Sheppard. He is also survived by a number of nephews and nieces.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to the Sheppard Scholarship Fund at Adrian College, the Scholarship Fund or the Music Department at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, or a charity of your choice.

A memorial gathering for Ike will be held Friday, August 11, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Pixley Funeral Home, 322 W. University Dr., Rochester, Michigan 48307. An instate will occur Saturday, August 12, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at St Paul United Methodist Church, 620 Romeo Rd, Rochester, Michigan 48307 with memorial service to follow at 11:00 AM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.pixleyfh.com for the Sheppard family.