John E. Shepherd

Jack was born in Easton, Pennsylvania and raised in Phillipsburg, New Jersey. He graduated from Blair Academy and Princeton University. Jack volunteered in 1944 for the infantry in the U.S. Army and served in a frontline mortar squad in France and Germany. Jack married the love of his life, Rosemarie Jacqueline Lanigan, in 1950. They shared life together for over 60 years before her death in 2010. They are survived by their five children; Nancy S. Webb of Greenwich, Connecticut, Susan S. Storrs of Greensboro, North Carolina, John E. Shepherd, Jr. of Cold Spring Harbor, New York, Amy S. Weinberg of Greenwich, Connecticut and Samantha S. Cronic of Chevy Chase, Maryland; 14 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, each and every one to whom Jack and Jackie were devoted.

Jack and Jackie moved to Tenafly, New Jersey early in their marriage and raised their family there. Jack worked in securities sales at Goldman, Sachs & Co. for over 35 years. He relished commuting from Tenafly to Wall Street on his motorcycle whenever possible, and took motorcycle trips from New Jersey to California and Italy to Denmark, occasionally with one of his children on board for part of the way. Jack’s sense of adventure abounded throughout his life, including taking up scuba diving, sea kayaking and flying his Husky airplane well into his 70’s. His solo flight to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the annual Air Show there was particularly memorable. All of Jack’s children delighted in his impromptu visits to them in his Morgan sports car, top down even in Winter, or later in his airplane to the nearest grass airfield to their home. An intimate chat, a sandwich and a cup of coffee and then he would be off.

When his grandchildren began to arrive, Jack was truly in his element. His joy in each of them was palpable and he was an inspiration to them all. His encyclopedic knowledge of history, love of poetry (with the ability to quote at length authors from Shakespeare to Wordsworth) and high standards made a permanent impression. And that was even before he learned magic. No one will forget the luncheon during a family vacation when Granddaddy complained to his grandchildren that he had a stomach ache, gathered them around him, and then cured his problem by slowly removing, one-by-one, a dozen or more brightly colored silk handkerchiefs from his mouth.

Jack was truly a member of the Greatest Generation. He was sui generis. He was a much loved and cherished husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend.

In lieu of flowers. Contributions can be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 1100N, Bethesda, MD 20814.