On June 15, 2007, Alex passed peacefully into Jesus’ arms with the sound of bagpipes playing at his daughter’s home in Ferndale, Washington. He had just turned 90 years old. Daddy was born June 3, 1917, to Thomas and Robina (McPhail) Shepherd in Forres, Scotland. Alex was the eldest of 8 children. His family immigrated to Canada in June 1926, with Alex turning 9 on the trip over the Atlantic. He grew up on the family farm in Madden, Alberta. In 1939, when he was 21, he joined the Canadian Army and served in World War Two. During those 6 years he served in England, Scotland, France, Africa, Sicily, Italy, Belgium, and Holland. Upon his return to Canada in 1945, he married Lucille Davies and had two daughters, Lucille and Denise. He was a member of the cement masons union for over 30 years and served on the board of directors. His wife, Lucille, died in 1964, and Alex married Dorothea Ziewicki in 1965. Together they ran the Capitol Hill Rest Home until their retirement in 1980. They moved to Abbotsford where Dorothea passed away in 2000. Alex will be remembered as a kind and gentle man who loved to feed the birds, grow roses, and build rock walls, many of which still stand today.
Alex is survived by his brothers, John (Jean) Shepherd, Ken (Marge) Shepherd, and Stan Shepherd; sisters, Mary (Colin) Arton and Jean (Irv) Rubin; daughters, Lucille (Robert) Shaw and Denise (Everett) Robinson; grandchildren, Lawton (Tanya) Shaw, Pamela (Ron) Pistell, Dorinda (Ashley) Smith, Jeramy (Pamela) Robinson, and Melinda (Duane) Richardson; great grandchildren, Aspen Pistell, Calvin, Nathan, and Alexis Shaw, and Isaiah Smith; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Memorial services will be held in August in Carstairs, Alberta.Arrangements are by
Moles Family Funeral Homes & Crematory – Ferndale.