Judy Sheppard

Judith Anne Gamble Sheppard returned to the hometown she always loved twelve years ago, and took her final leave of it on June 10, 2020 a few weeks shy of her 84th birthday and a few hundred yards from the house she grew up in. Judy was the vivacious and dedicated mother of James Sheppard (Karen) and Allison Burgan (Hardie) of Pittsburgh, PA and David Sheppard (Jessica) of Minneapolis, MN.  Above all, she was the steadfast wife of the great love of her life, the late Alan Robinson Sheppard, also a native of East Grand Rapids. From the days they sailed together on Reed’s Lake as young teens, Judy dedicated herself to Alan with selflessness, tenacity, and the lively sense of humor she shared with her family – her parents, the late Edwin and Helen (Curtis) Gamble, and her departed siblings, Ted Gamble and Marilyn Doolittle. Judy and Alan lived for a time in Pittsburgh, and retired to Beaufort, South Carolina. She was always ready for an adventure, and hers took her to England, Israel, Greece, Rome…..even on a boat up the Amazon River.

Judy is greatly missed by her family – including her cousin, Elise Curtis, of Grand Rapids, her brother-in-law, W. Stevens Sheppard of Lake Wales, Florida, and five fond grandchildren – Thomas, James, Alexandra, Max, and Noah. She will also be missed by her many friends at Clark Retirement community, and the family is very grateful to the staff at Clark and with Emmanuel Hospice for being such wonderful friends and caregivers. Judy will also miss and be missed by her friends in the East Grand Rapids class of 1954. O, Pioneers! You meant a lot to Judy, and made her feel right at home in her return to East Grand Rapids, and you have our eternal gratitude for that.

A memorial service will be held at the Metcalf & Jonkhoff Funeral Home on Saturday, June 27th at 10:00am. Judy will then be reunited with her beloved Alan at the United States National Cemetery in Beaufort, South Carolina.  In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation to the Emmanuel Hospice, 401 Hall Street #263, Grand Rapids 49503 or The Clark Foundation at https://clarkretirement.org/about-clark/

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