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| Duane Sheppard, Age 74 |
| Visitation Location: |
Calvary Community Church, St. Cloud, MN |
| Visitation Date/Time: |
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 one hour prior to the service |
| Funeral Time: |
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 11:00 AM |
| Funeral Location: |
Calvary Community Church, St. Cloud, Minnesota |
| Burial Location: |
Evergreen Cemetery, Backus, MN |
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DUANE SHEPPARD, 74
St. Cloud, MN
August 24, 1933 - August 9, 2008
Duane Sheppard went home to Heaven on August 9, 2008, following a three and a half-year battle with multiple myeloma.
A celebration of his life and faith will be held at 11:00 AM on Wednesday, August 13, 2008, at Calvary Community Church, 1200 Roosevelt Road, St. Cloud, MN. Friends may visit with the family at the church one hour prior to the service. Private burial at Evergreen Cemetery in Backus, MN, will take place on Tuesday. Funeral arrangements made by Benson Funeral Home, St. Cloud, MN.
Duane was born on August 24, 1933, to Arnold and Verna (Strom) Sheppard in Mankato, MN. He grew up in Kansas City, KS, and Backus, MN. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from St. Cloud State University, where he later taught. He also taught at the Minnesota Correctional Facility-St. Cloud, before assuming the position of director of education there.
He is survived by his wife Sharon (Anderson) of St. Cloud, MN; son Jonathan and daughter-in-law Millie of Monroe, WA; daughter Caroline of Covington, WA; brother Daryle of Osseo, MN; and five treasured grandsons: Joel, Peter, and Daniel Sheppard, and Jonathan and Aaron Hamos, as well as four nephews, seven nieces, and many dear friends, especially those who attended Bible studies in the Sheppard home over a period of several decades.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Duane loved to hunt and fish, read, travel, and spend time with family and friends.
As a member of the Times Writers Group for seven and a half years, he wrote scores of opinion pieces for the St. Cloud Times. In one of his last columns (April 2008) entitled, “Cancer gives time to think, thank,” Duane reflected on his journey and shared his personal testimony of faith. In it he concluded that family, friends, and faith were the most important things in life, citing the verse, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26)
A favorite hymn during his final months contained the words “Because He lives I can face tomorrow; Because He lives all fear is gone; Because I know He holds the future, Life is worth the living just because He lives.” |
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