Obituary of Donna Sheppard

SHEPPARD ~ Donna Mary Sheppard passed away at the Lloydminster Hospital on Monday, June 24, 2013 at the age of 73 years. Donna leaves to mourn her passing: her loving husband, Brian Sheppard; two daughters, Brenda Sheppard and Christine (Marc) Oleksiw; two grandsons, Jacob and Carter Oleksiw; three brothers, John (Eunice) Fisher, Tom (Myrna) Fisher and David (Linda) Fisher; one sister, Win Rutherford (Don Hanson) as well as numerous nieces, nephews and other family members. The Memorial Service was conducted from Lloydminster Gospel Fellowship on Wednesday, July 3, 2013 at 10:30 A.M. with Reverend Paul DuVal officiating. Marsha Tindall gave the eulogy, which can be read online at www.mccawfuneralservice.com. The Honorary Pallbearers were Don & Doreen Tarasiuk, Les & Joan Ellis, Paul Kelly & Sandy Clarkson. The Urn Bearers were Don & Barb Holt. Interment was held in the Lloydminster City Cemetery. Donations in Donna's memory may be made to Lloydminster Region Health Foundation, Cross Cancer Institute or to a Charity of the Donor's Choice. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster, Alberta administered the funeral arrangements. Card of Thanks On behalf of the Sheppard family, we would like to thank all the Doctors and Nurses at the Lloydminster Hospital, Reverend Paul DuVal, Marsha Tindall for the eulogy, all the honorary pallbearers and urn bearers, the McCaw family, the ladies for doing the lunch, everyone for the cards, flowers and donations received, for food brought to the house, for phone calls and messages, and for all love and support from friends and family when Donna was in the hospital. Eulogy: Only the rarest kind of the very best in anything is good enough for children. Walter de la Mare I met Donna through teaching but came to understand what I saw each day with children was how Donna lived her life. She was the rarest kind of the very best of many things. Donna Sheppard, our tiny, perfect ray of intense love. The person who never met a stranger, who always thought of others and who never complained. Brian, Brenda and Chrissy and Marc, Jacob and Carter felt that love in her devotion to them every single day. Donna's family felt her love in her sincerity at every family gathering and with every phone call. Donna's friends and colleagues felt her love in her kindness with each greeting on the street, in the store or in the hallways of the school. Donna Mary, born in 1940, to Alice and Charlie Fisher, spent her childhood on a farm six miles south and four miles east of Loydminster. There were five children: John the oldest, then Donna, next was best friend, roommate and only sister Win, then Tom and as Donna would say even today, baby brother David. Friends who visited the farm still remark about what fun it was to go there. Mrs. Fisher was a wonderful, loving mother who encouraged everyone in all their adventures. They would ride bikes, play games, get bucked off the horse and do their chores just like prairie children throughout the west. When it came time for school, the kids were sent to Dulwhich School in their district. They were a close family, each one supporting the other and remain so to this day. Donna visited her mother almost everyday when she was in the nursing home in Lloydminster. After Mrs. Fisher passed away, Donna was the one who phoned family members to keep them informed about family news and events. She would often call her brothers at night from the bathtub. She would talk to her sister, Win, every morning, sometimes for five minutes but if they had time, for an hour. After graduating, Donna worked in Lloydminster where a chance introduction by Brian's cousin, Steve Tipper, at a dance in Lloydminster, led Donna to fall in love with a dashing young man named Brian Sheppard from the Kitscoty area. This romance resulted in a wedding on July 18, 1964 in Grace United Church in Lloydminster. Eventually, Brian and Donna become the proud parents of two daughters, Brenda and Christine or Chrissy as many call her. Donna was a loving, nonjudgmental and supportive mother to her girls. Donna was always full of energy, eager to help Brenda and Chrissy in all their activities. They never wanted to disappoint their wonderful mom who came to be called " little momma" to all their friends. When the girls were very small, Donna used to load them up in a basket on her big trike and strike off for adventure. When the family wanted to go farther afield, like to the drive-in, the girls would be placed on a bench in the back of a red Volkswagen Beetle with blankets and pillows and off they'd go. As time went on, Brian became increasingly competitive in Trap Shooting and this became the focus of many trips. There were many exciting adventures in their camper in places such as Hamilton, Brandon, Edmonton and even Expo 86 in Vancouver. Brian was wonderfully successful, becoming Canadian Singles Champion and three times Doubles Champion. Donna was winning the hearts of people from all over Canada and the United States. As soon as they would arrive, the visiting would begin and by the time they left, everyone was her good friend. These friendships were very special to Donna and she couldn't wait to head out each season to renew old acquaintances with their shooting buddies. When at home, Donna and Shep helped with maintaining the gun club and helping others enjoy the sport they loved. Jerry Mills called Donna "the Little General" because of the way she would get everyone organized and then start delegating tasks to keep the club running smoothly. They have also been active members of the Lloydminster Fish and Game for many years, volunteering and helping to sponsor many events. For many people here today, Donna was the little lady at Shep's Sports. The one who always had a pleasant greeting, a smile and often a hug for those who needed it. At Shep's, there is a place people sit and have coffee; where customers become friends and friends become like family. This store will become a favourite memory for many people who visited there as children. It is old fashioned, honest, generous and small town. I often think Shep kept the used skate department, just so Donna could be sure every child would have a pair of skates. I know the price was adjusted to fit the circumstances. The Sheppards also loved to spend time with family and friends at the cabin at Peck Lake. It is a real cabin, pure and simple. You can go swimming, have bonfires and wiener roasts and tell stories. In spite of Donna's urging to modernize, Shep has managed to keep the maintenance to a minimum and there is no need for fall flushing of water lines. Many people will remember Donna from the Lloydminster Figure Skating Club. Brenda loved to figure skate. Many lifelong friends such as Carmen Ellis's Family and Jen Metherall's Family were met on the cold benches of the Civic Centre. In 1977, Chrissy headed off to Doris Spence's Kindergarten at Neville Goss School. Donna volunteered in her classroom. Doris was an amazing teacher and Donna loved to be with children. After all, there were children who really needed help and Donna knew instinctively what to do. After volunteering for three years, Donna became part of the staff when she was hired to be an educational assistant in the Kindergarten room. She would eventually work in Avery School, Winston Churchill and Martin Brown as well. Donna and I worked together at Winston Churchill School. When she arrived, I knew she would be very knowledgeable as she had worked with Doris, whom I had admired for many years. Little did I know how much Donna would teach me about children. Many people have advanced degrees in Education or write books about early childhood learning or agonize over sequencing lessons to maximize learning. Donna just provided love, security and made them feel competent.....just as she had with her own girls. If the lesson was difficult, the teaching steps would get smaller. There was no rushing, no sense of falling behind, of not measuring up to others. They could do it, she would say. For a few children, even printing their name could be a challenge of many days or even weeks. Time after time, Donna would put her hand over their hand, guide their pencil slowly down the paper, repeat the steps in a quiet voice and then do it again. Stroke by stroke, letter by letter, the name would appear. They could do it! Talk about time for a Donna happy dance. Many times, Donna and I would be out on the playground in the fall with a new class of Kindergarten recruits when she would suddenly look skyward. She would say to me, " They're coming". I would look in the same area and see nothing but usually within a minute, a large V would appear and soon the sky would be filled with geese. Donna said she often went out with Shep and helped him spot while hunting in the fall. That will be something I think of every fall when the geese head south above my head. Often we would head out for a nature walk around the lake behind the school. Donna would bring up the rear with all the little people who either hadn't walked much before or had and didn't care for it. She would chatter away and encourage them until soon we be back in the school yard. By the time June would come, these same kids would be marching along, looking for the beaver house, identifying the grebes and telling their friends to hurry up! Mrs. Sheppard was still at the back, chattering away to all the happy hikers. When we practiced for Christmas concert, Mrs. Sheppard made the ears and antlers, painted the reindeer noses and told us how wonderful we sounded. She didn't have to but she was there for the performance at night, combing hair and tying ties. Oh, the excitement! Oh, the noise! Oh, it was special! Sometimes in a Kindergarten class, there can be a little too much excitement and accidents happen. Donna had that covered too. She would arrive with bags of pants, socks, underwear and mitts for those who might need a discrete change of clothes. Never judgmental, always kind and encouraging to the point some liked their new clothes so much we never saw the clothes again! One day, the Kindergarten class was buzzing. There was to be a bake sale! Nothing excites five year olds like a bake sale. As I was busy working on the opposite side of the room from the door, I instructed the class to line up, with their money, at the door. A note had gone home with each student informing parents about the sale and the need for money to be sent to cover the cost of their child's purchases. I looked over and noticed about half the class was excitedly lined up anticipating what would be available. The rest of the children looked rather upset and I realized that they had probably forgotten their money. Thinking it was an opportunity to teach responsibility, I offered no solution. After a couple more minutes, I looked again toward the door. The line had grown much longer, to the point that everyone in the class was bouncing up and down, each holding a shiny dime with big smile on their face. Donna had just taught me that a bake sale is no time to teach responsibility to a five year old. Maybe their parents forgot, maybe the child forgot, maybe they lost their money, maybe their mom didn't have the money. Whatever the reason, there are only so many chances to teach generosity and sharing and this was one of them. Donna, of course, said nothing but continued to have money for cookies, hot dogs, sponsorships, Girl Guide cookies, Terry Fox Runs, Jump Rope For Heart pledges and every other lesson in generosity that came along. Donna was thrilled to have two little people of her own when Jacob and Carter were born. She couldn't wait to see them on trips to Edmonton and would tell me how they were growing and of course, how wonderful they were. Jacob is growing up energetic and kind and Carter has just received an Athletic and Citizenship award. Their grandma was very proud of them. One of Brian and Donna's last adventures together was their trip to Alaska in August of 2012. Donna knew what she might face in the future so the time was right to have a special time together. It was a wonderful trip and her eyes would light up when she told about it. In January of this year, Win and Chrissy accompanied Donna to the Cross for a checkup. The doctor had devastating news and said the chance of recovery was remote. On the way out, Donna still managed to say hello to another patient. The lady told Donna she had just had her last radiation treatment. Donna was very pleased for her and said: " That is wonderful! We should do a happy dance to celebrate!" So they did. Very sick but very special Donna, did a happy dance for a stranger.