Jerry Noel Sheppard, 69, of Blacksburg, stepped peacefully into heaven on Mar. 19, 2024.
He was born Dec. 25, 1954. He is preceded in death by his father, Jim Sheppard; brother, James Sheppard; a nephew, Andrew Duncan and his wife, Jeannette.
He is survived by his mother, Shirley Caldwell Sheppard; sister, Janet Duncan and husband Curtis; brother, Joseph Sheppard and his wife Anne; nephews, James Duncan, his wife Tiffany, and their children, Nathan Benjamin, Lilly, and Hannah; and Justin Sheppard, his wife Tiffany, and their children Starr and Allison; niece, Clarissa Elliott and her husband Raymond.
As a very young man Jerry began working the farm at Whitethorn making sure the cows were milked twice a day and the farm was running smoothly. In his later years, he became a heavy equipment operator and spent 18 years serving in that position at the Virginia Tech Rock Quarry. He retired from there in 2017.
After he retired, Jerry Spent many happy years farming cattle with his brother Joe, nephew Justin, and cousin Frank. He loved the outdoors and spent lots of time with his dog Sam, cutting wood to make sure his house was super warm during the cold months. He liked to spoil his dog Sam a bit with peanut butter crackers and maybe a Slim Jim every now and then. He was kind to everyone and loved to make others laugh. Every weekday morning, he spent time making sure his great-niece, Allison, got on the school bus and had her favorite ice cream waiting on her in the afternoon when she returned from school.
He will be greatly missed by his friends, family, many nephews, nieces, great nephews, and great nieces.
Graveside services were conducted Friday, Mar. 22, 2024, in the Roselawn Memorial Gardens.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Long Shop-McCoy Fire Department.
