Anthony L. ‘Tim’ Shepard
Former newspaper reporter and author Anthony L. “Tim” Shepard died April 10 at his home on San Juan Island. He was 80 and had an extended battle with throat cancer.
Born Jan. 23, 1926 in Milwaukee, Wis., to Francis P. and Elizabeth B. Shepard, he was raised in San Diego and New England. He graduated from Milton Academy preparatory school in Milton, Mass. and then attended Harvard University in Boston prior to serving as a corpsman in the U.S. Navy in the latter stages of World War II.
After the war, he returned to Harvard where he completed a bachelor’s degree in English. He joined the staff of the San Diego Union in 1953 and spent his entire 25-year newspaper career there.
Shepard married Ruth “Pat” Bradford in the 1950s. The couple later adopted three children: Thomas M. Shepard, Michael B. Shepard and Terry C. Shepard.
In 1976, Thomas Y. Crowell Company published his biographical novel about the life and times of his paternal grandfather, T.H. Shepard. Movie rights to the book were sold to a production company, but the film was never produced.
Shepard retired from the newspaper and he and his family relocated to Friday Harbor, Wash., in 1978. Pat Shepard died in October 1989.
On April 12, 1991, Shepard married the former Joan Linden of Manhattan, N.Y. on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, where the couple then lived for many years.
In his later years, they spent a great deal of time traveling in many parts of the world, but particularly in the islands of the southern Pacific Ocean. They spent summers on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia, Canada, and recently made San Juan Island their primary residence.
Shepard was passionate about his leisure-time pursuits and he particularly enjoyed sailing, swimming, snorkeling, tennis and snow skiing. His 40-foot sloop, Emily, won the prestigious Lipton Cup sailing event in 1967. He remained a member of the San Diego Yacht Club and for more than 10 years he served as captain of the Aliomanu Swim Team in Anahola, Hawaii.
Survivors include his wife, Joan L. Shepard of San Juan Island, Wash.; son, Thomas M. Shepard of Auburn, Wash.; son, Michael B. Shepard and daughter-in-law, Rhonda A. Shepard, both of Yakima; daughter, Terry C. Shepard of Bellingham, Wash.; brother, Thomas H. Shepard of Bellevue, Wash.; and two granddaughters, Lydia M. Shepard and Emily R. Shepard, both of Yakima, Wash.
Memorial donations may be made to the American Cancer Society or to a charity of choice.
