Joseph Arthur "Art" Shepperd Jr.

Joseph Arthur “Art” Shepperd, Jr., 80, a most benevolent gentleman, passed away from a long-fought cardiopulmonary condition on May 6, 2020, at home with his family by his side. He was laid to rest in his hometown of Burnet, Texas, this week during a private graveside service.

To echo the words of the St. David’s Episcopal Church rector in Austin, Art was involved in more service roles during his life than we will ever truly know. He followed in the footsteps of his father, the late Dr. Joseph Arthur Shepperd, Sr., a country doctor and cattle rancher, founder of Shepperd Memorial Hospital in Burnet, the Camp Longhorn physician for its first 50 years of existence and mayor of the City of Burnet for 18 years.

Art was predeceased by his father, his beloved mother, Regenia Black Shepperd, and his sisters, Vera Jo and Suzanne. He is survived by his cherished wife of 60 years, Martha Davis Shepperd and his two sons and their families, Ben, Jane and Eleanor Shepperd, of Austin, and Joseph Arthur “Trey” Shepperd, III, and his sons Wyatt and Wesley, of Burnet. Art also leaves his stepmother, Epifania “Fannie” Shepperd, of Burnet, and two siblings and their families, Juan, Ann, Jose’ and Mateo Shepperd, of Austin, and Maria Shepperd Walker and her children, Sophia and Houston, of Dallas. More than 75 additional and close Shepperd relatives survive Art across Central Texas and throughout the state.

Art was born in Burnet on August 20, 1939, and grew up in the historic, Civil War-era home on the Rocky Rest Ranch. He recalled fondly a childhood spent riding his horse three miles to visit his best friend on the neighboring ranch because “Bicycles were dangerous,” his father said.

One of 13 Shepperds to board at St. Stephen’s Episcopal School in Austin, Art, however, left Austin his junior year to attend the Sewanee Military Academy, as it was known then, in Tennessee. At Sewanee, Art was named as captain of the baseball team, elected president of the Sewanee Cotillion and played varsity football.

In 1958, Art entered the University of Texas-Austin where he earned a bachelors degree in accounting. He would serve as a licensed Certified Public Accountant for over 50 years.

At The University, he joined the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and received the “Best Pledge” award his freshman year. Art was committed to his fraternity, fulfilling the duties of Vice President of Recruitment his senior year and the chapter alumni advisor for 25 years.

During those summers between college terms, he worked as a counselor at Camp Longhorn, following his seven years as a camper. Art was quite the trick water-skier and worked as the camp’s director of water-skiing, as well. Between college and camp,

Art found time, at his father’s direction most likely, to run cattle on the family ranches in Burnet and Chihuahua, Mexico.

During college, Art was at the Abilene Country Club pool with friends one summer day when he met a beautiful lifeguard, Bonnie Martha Davis. Luckily for Art, he learned that Martha would be returning to the University of Texas in the fall. They were married that next summer in Abilene on Art’s birthday and returned to Austin for Art’s last year of university.

Settling their two sons in West Austin in the late 1960s after several years in Houston, Art and Martha quickly became involved in their church and community. Art found his true calling as a little league coach, leading both Ben and Trey’s little league teams, including the much-ballyhooed 7-Up, Stripling Blake and Anken Construction teams. Art recently recounted a story about the opening of what is today known as Brumley Field at WAYA. The night before the field’s official opening, a handful of coaches, Art included, noticed a small problem — the outfield lacked a back fence. Art and his fellow little league moms and dads put up a make-shift fence along the outfield that very night, using “only one nail at the top of each board” to speed the process and finish by morning.

Martha and Art spent any remaining spare time with their sons hunting in South Texas and camping in Colorado. As the boys grew out of little league, Martha and Art purchased a second home on Lake Travis. Shortly thereafter, they purchased the Dodd Street Docks Marina, also on Lake Travis, which they owned for 30 years. Art ventured that they chose Lake Travis because Lake Austin had gotten “too crowded” by 1970.

The family enjoyed many an evening at the lake house, but nearly 20 years ago Art and Martha turned sail for the Gulf, acquiring a weekend home in Port Aransas, and learning the art of saltwater fishing. Art fished “seriously” and also loved taking his grandchildren on shorter excursions, once explaining to a concerned little Shepperd that the “fishies are just going to sleep” once off the hook and on the boat. Art was immensely proud of his three grandchildren, and when health allowed could be found among the faithful at his grandsons’ football games in Burnet and his granddaughter’s ballet recitals in Midland.

Art’s anchor on and off the water was his faith. Art never said no when asked to serve on a finance committee or the vestry at St. David’s Episcopal Church. He and Martha were faithful supporters of the church’s “Next to New,” ministry and store, which has been one of their volunteer priories since its inception.

The Shepperd family feels a tremendous loss with Art’s passing, and yet also can rejoice in his complete healing and eternal life in heaven.

In remembrance, the family suggests a donation the St. David’s Episcopal Church Foundation, 301 E. 8th St, Austin, TX 78701 or the West Austin Youth Association, 1314 Exposition Blvd, Austin, TX 78703 www.waya.org/donate