George Edward Shepard, Jr. of Chapel Hill passed away Monday evening after having previously courageously fought through and survived a full two pages worth of maladies, single-spaced, 12-point font. Over these last 7 or 8 years, his doctors would often enter the room with an x-ray or a vascular ultrasound in hand, a grin across their lips, and a perplexed gaze in their eyes, as if to say, “How in the hell are you still standing on this side of the ground?”

He grinded hard, and he lived fully.

He was predeceased by his sister Carolyn Chisholm of Asheboro, and he is survived by his lovely and loving wife Sharon Sullivan Mújica; stepchildren Marco and Samantha Marquez of Chula Vista, California and Jeff and Tanya Mújica Keenan of Hoboken, New Jersey; step-grandchildren Elle and Sofia; son and daughter-in-law Erik and Laura Shepard; son and daughter-in-law Adam and Ivana Shepard; and cat Bela.

He died in the very same way in which he lived his 81 years: telling stories to the people he adored and displaying the quick wit that made his company so intoxicating.

George was born on October 3, 1939. He was the son of Bo Shepard--UNC professor, associate dean of the general college, and coach of the basketball team from 1932-1936--and the nephew of Norman Shepard, who coached UNC to an undefeated 26-0 and a national championship in 1924.

George was educated in Chapel Hill and at Darlington School in Rome, Georgia. At Darlington, he spent some time studying the books and some time running the books, offering bets on anything from Alabama football games to when the pregnant Professor Stukes would go into labor. He went on to receive his undergraduate degree at UNC over two two-year spurts with a two-year break in between to join the Army. He pledged--and he maintained a lifelong connection to--ATO. He took seven semesters to pass four semesters of Spanish. Not long before graduating, Chancellor Robert House walked by him sitting on a bench with a date and said, “Young lady, I want you to know that George here will shortly be entering the real world with an untired mind.”

As a child, he enjoyed fishing, reading, camping, locating mischief, and napping, and he continued to sharpen those skills throughout adulthood.

He attended law school long enough to complete one full intramural softball season before pivoting to earn his MBA at George Washington. He walked across the stage and promptly set his newly-minted degree to the side with the wide eyes of a dude who didn’t want to miss a thing. He ran operations as the head of an 8-man team for 22 months and 18 days in Vietnam, developing steadfast relationships that he has now taken with him to his grave. He was the cook on a crew that delivered a sailboat from New England to the Bahamas. He spent a winter skiing in Aspen and a summer cowboying in Wyoming, and then he rinsed and repeated that cycle for a few more years between Aspen, Steamboat Springs, and Durango. Life with his then-wife Joanie and a couple of sons brought him back from the west. In real estate, he was an instrumental player in the early evolution of Beech Mountain, he worked for McCoy Development, and he did a few years’ worth of deals partnered with Billy Armfield, Don McMillion, and Bob Eubanks in the Piedmont area. He worked among the administrative team at Tonyan Brothers Trucking in Illinois, and he finished his career as an economic developer in the Southeast Asia division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce. 

He gave of himself. He served at the soup kitchen, he volunteered with the Blue Ribbon Mentor Program, and his most prized possession was an award he received from the Ministry of Ethnic Minorities for his intense devotion to the causes of the Vietnamese Montagnard refugees with whom he had battled alongside. 

George Shepard never became the magnate that he perhaps could have been, and his professional career is a footnote that can be defined as him having done whatever needed to be done in order for him to cover that month’s mortgage payment and thenceforth afford to spend as much time as possible with his friends and family. His life can be defined by his dedication to the people he loved. The greatest statistic of George Shepard’s life is this: he missed a combined total of three of his children’s athletic and school events over the span of the thirteen years that they progressed from Kiddie Kickers to college. That is a truly remarkable accomplishment. He was always home for dinner, and he cherished a weekend jaunt to the beach or the mountains with whoever wanted to grab an overnight bag and hop in the car. He cheered and supported his children in their various endeavors, he guided them, he listened to them, and he served as the hero that every dad should be. 

Win or lose, each moment of his life can be defined by his integrity and his accountability. Telling the truth and striking a fair deal were of paramount importance to him. And he always owned his successes as well as his failures. 

George Shepard was generous, and George Shepard was a cheapskate. If he was down to his last fifty dollars, he’d give you the full bounty if you needed it, and he likewise saw no reason to own two pairs of pants when the one pair he presently owned had only three holes and not four. 

He was the guy you walked over to if you saw him at a cocktail party. His eyes lit up as he relayed the narratives of his days cowboying in Wyoming or fighting (and smoking all of the grass he could get his hands on) in Vietnam, and he loved hearing about whatever you happened to have going on in your life at that particular moment. He was as quick to laugh as he was to quip. His sincerity was unrivaled, and his sense of humor kept you at his side past your bedtime. You always parted ways looking forward to your next rendezvous with him.

Perhaps most exciting for him was, at age 60, reconnecting with Sharon Sullivan Mújica who he grew up with and even dated when they were 15.  George and Sharon were compatible in almost every way and had a multitude of friends.  They worked together for the Blue Ribbon Mentor Program with 2 young Latino youths with whom they are still friends. George learned more Spanish in his later years than he ever did in school.  They actively supported NC Democratic candidates for office, were involved and jailed during Moral Monday, participated in seminars at UNC and Duke, and enjoyed traveling to other countries, especially Mexico. 

And so we say farewell to a man who we all loved so much, and we say farewell with the understanding that there is a gap in the world that each of us must now work to fill. 

George Shepard: husband, dad, friend. We miss you terribly, and we will often recall the legacy you are leaving. 

George would quickly forget to water the flowers you plan on sending, so instead, he would no doubt be honored if you would send a contribution in his name to one of two places: 

--TROSA, 1820 James Street, Durham, North Carolina 27707
--Montagnard Dega Association, 611 Summit Avenue, Suite 10, Greensboro, North Carolina 27405. 

A playlist of songs with which to remember George can be found on Spotify here.