Joe Shepard MD

Dr. Fritz Shepard. Born and raised in Clay Center, Kansas, his love of medicine was born of his love and

admiration for his father, who served as the town's only doctor. After graduating from Kansas State College,

Joe married his high school sweetheart, Marilyn, and then completed medical school at the University of

Kansas. He followed that with postgraduate training at Wilford Hall at the U.S.A.F Medical Center in San

Antonio, Texas. He completed his Air Force service as Chief of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at

the U.S.A.F Regional Hospital at Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas. Following his military

service, Joe moved to Tyler and continued his orthopedic practice at East Texas Medical Center, Mother

Frances Hospital and Azalea Orthopedics. In addition to his memberships in various medical societies, Joe

served as a member of the Texas Medical Association Committee on Sports Medicine and was a past

President and Member Emeritus of the Northeast Texas Alzheimer's Disease Chapter.

He loved life and family filling both with laughter and love. He found pleasure in hunting, fishing, reading,

photography and crossword puzzles. He loved the Big Horn Mountains and took special joy in the time he

spent there. Joe had many friends and while some of them became his patients, his patients were far more

likely to become his friends. He was generous with his time and attention whether it was to help his children,

his patients or a co-worker or just spending time with a beginning college student trying to find a way to a

career in medicine. Every day, he loved us and we knew it and we loved him and he knew it.

Joe's first wife Marilyn died from early-onset Alzheimer's. He later married Sandy Shepard and welcomed her

two sons into his family. In addition to Marilyn, he was preceded in death by his mother and father and his

older brother Chuck. He is survived by his loving wife Sandy and their children: Jill Shepard Kraus and

husband Marc of Fort Worth; Erin Shepard Davis and husband Steven of San Diego, California; sons

Michael Shepard, Tyler Acker and Marshall Acker of Tyler; and his grandchildren Myles, Stella and Sadie. Joe

is also survived by his brother Nip Shepard and his wife Terry of Overland Park, Kansas.

A memorial service will be held at Tyler's First Christian Church on Friday, September 2, 2011 at 10:30 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the charity of your choice or to the East Texas

Community Foundation Funds for the Alzheimer's Alliance or the ARC of Smith County.