Paso Robles News|Friday, March 29, 2024
You are here: Home » Obituaries » Obituary of John Gould Shepard, 69
  • Follow Us!

Obituary of John Gould Shepard, 69 

obituaries paso robles

–John Gould Shepard passed into eternal life on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. He battled heart problems for years and was 69 years old.

He was born Nov, 19, 1950 to Almon B. and Margaret W. Shepard of Pomona, Calif., who preceded him in death. He attended Pomona public schools, graduating from Pomona High School in 1968.

Following graduation, John joined the United States Navy as a damage controlman on the USS Davidson, a Destroyer Escort. Serving two years Active Duty with honors, and after numerous deployments to Vietnam, John came home to California. His damage controlman experience led to a career in safety engineering. Graduating from California State University, Los Angeles with a BA degree in Health and Safety Engineering, he began working in the industry. His commitment to excellence led to a reputation for expertise in workers’ compensation law making him well known in his field. He received numerous commendations and was elected President of the American Society of Safety Engineers, Central California Chapter.

John’s passions were music and his dogs. When he was 10, he discovered drums. He started a band with a neighborhood friend that lasted over twenty years and wrote his first of hundreds of songs when he was in his teens.

Moving to Paso Robles in 1999, John played in the praise bands at Paso Robles Methodist Church and Live Oak Community Church. John rescued four dogs throughout his life, the most recent being Nikki Bella, an Australian Shepherd.

John is survived by Nikki Bella, his sister Susan Shepard Kleiman (Leonard), his brother James (Cheryl) and eighteen nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.

There will be a Celebration of Life in Paso Robles and he will be laid to rest on August 31 at Pomona Cemetery in a family plot.


The Paso Robles Daily News accepts and publishes local obituaries and death notices free of charge from individuals and local funeral homes. See information and tips here on writing an obituary. Please submit the obituary a few days before services, if possible. To submit an obituary, please email it to skye@accesspublishing.com with “obituary” in the subject line. Please email a photo along with the obituary.

Share To Social Media

Comments

About the author: News Staff

The news staff of the Paso Robles Daily News wrote or edited this story from local contributors and press releases. The news staff can be reached at info@pasoroblesdailynews.com.