Norman Howard Sheperd

Norman Howard Sheperd was born on June 12, 1931, in Clinton, Massachusetts to Richard Moses Sheperd and Minerva Grace (Doty) Sheperd. Norm passed to his rest on June 5, 2024, in Walla Walla, Washington while staying with his son. He was one week shy of his 93rd birthday.

His early years are tied to New England, including Vermont and western Massachusetts. His family would locate based on work, as the early 1930’s were in the midst of the Great Depression. His first childhood home was in Montgomery, VT. Much time was spent in South Lancaster, MA where his father and two older brothers were working as electricians. They wired the dorms of Atlantic Union College, and many of the surrounding homes in this budding college town.

His foundation formed during these years in South Lancaster. We know this because of the many life-long friends he gained there, the many stories he would tell, and how the SLA reunion became a cherished annual trip for so many years. In fact, it became a favorite for each of his children and even some grandchildren.

At 19-years old he ventured off with his 17-year-old friend, Dan McClenon on a road trip across the United States. Their first of about nine trips ended in Klamath, CA where they worked at a logging mill to earn gas money. During their adventures, they would make it to all forty-eight of the contiguous states.

His time at SLA was interrupted when he was drafted to serve in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Following the example of Desmond Doss and other Adventists of World War II, Norm was a Conscientious Objector and did not carry a firearm despite his locations near the front lines. As a medic and office worker, Sergeant Sheperd served his country from April 1953 until July 1954, honorably discharged in 1960.

After the war, the road trips returned. One such trip from east to west ended in Glendale, CA where the two young men walked into the Glendale Sanitarian (now known as Adventist Health Glendale). Since they were “SLA boys” they were hired on the spot. Pacific Union College’s School of Nursing was conveniently located next to the hospital.

There was a young nursing student that had caught Norm’s eye, but they had barely met. With the holidays approaching, this student wanted Norm to take a car full of presents to Missouri, where she was from, on his “way” to Massachusetts. But that wouldn’t do, he wanted time with her, not with the gifts. The trickery began when Norm told her two others would be riding along. She tried to trick him as well, saying that she would go, but planned to leave him with the gifts while she flew. Bluffs were called the morning of the trip when the two others were not riding along, and Norm refused to take the gifts without Sharlene Johnson riding along. She called her parents, and they said it would be okay as long as they didn’t stop until they got to their house.

They didn’t stop. They would even switch drivers while the car was moving. Things must have gone pretty well because after stopping in Missouri, she continued with him to the east coast. Seeing how his family interacted, their closeness and family bonds, Sharlene fell for Norm. As they were departing to drive her back to her family home, one of Norm’s brothers took him aside and told him he would be “crazy if you let this one get away!”

Norman Sheperd and Sharlene Johnson were married on March 7, 1957, in Pasadena, CA. Marilyn Vieau, who was in their wedding, married Chuck Smith on the same date one year later, and the four became best friends for life. Not only did they honeymoon together in Hawaii, not only did they spend many anniversaries together, but their young families often vacationed, camped, and spent nearly every Sabbath afternoon together for years. Norm and Sharlene were married for 53-years before her passing in 2010.

Norm and Sharlene stayed in Glendale where Sharlene worked as a nurse at the Adventist hospital, and Norm worked at Pioneer Manufacturing. In his early 30’s, Pioneer was going out of business, so Norm took it on. He asked his good friend, Dan (road trips), what he should name the new company, and Dan suggested Normco. Norm owned, operated and ran Normco from this early time, all the way until his passing. Norm was a resident of Glendale for 70 years.

In many ways, Norm really liked routine. Tam O’Shanter is a restaurant in Los Angeles. It has been in existence for over 100 years. When trying to determine how long Norm had been going to “the Tam”, he shared that he first went before he was married in 1957, he went with his father, who died in 1971, so he estimated he started going nearly every single weekday from 1970 until October 2023. Doing the math, this is about 68-years, over 13,000 meals, and if averaging $60/meal, in today's dollars that would be over $800,000. But he greatly enjoyed every single meal. Until just last October, Norm would shuffle into the office each day bright and early to “send the guys off”, read his paper, head to Tam, and get work done before his crew returned.

Norm and Sharlene raised their four children in Glendale: Sherri Lynn, Sandra Dee, Stacey Sue and Stann Norman Richard. Both parents believed strongly in Adventist education and, like Sharlene, all four attended Glendale Adventist Academy and Adventist Colleges/Universities.

Norm’s passing really is the end of an era and the change of a generation. His love of family was clear to all who knew him. Somehow, he was able to make each child feel as if they were his favorite, and probably many others as well. His love of family was recognized by their children’s friends growing up, visiting friends and relatives who often stayed with the family, and all who knew him.

Norm is survived by his four children Sherri Carcich, Sandi Swiridoff, Stacey Baker and Stann Sheperd; his grandchildren Justin Swiridoff, Kari Lewis, Kim O’Donnel, Andrew Norman Carcich, Mallory Carcich, Adam Baker, Andrew Baker, Forrest Sheperd and Simon Sheperd; his great grandchildren Sawyer, Stella, Aidan, Quinn, Lena-Gene, Drew, Colton, Blake, Hudson and Kaia. He was preceded in death by his brothers Robert and Walter, his sister Betty, his wife Sharlene and his grandson Sammuel Norman Richard Sheperd.