Funeral Services for Ted Shepherd, 89, will be held Sunday, August 18, 2013, at 3pm at First Baptist Church, Greenville. He died Friday, August 16, 2013 at Delta Regional Medical Center. Burial will be in Greenlawn Memorial Gardens under the direction of Boone Funeral Home, Greenville.
Ted Shepherd, who was born on July 10, 1924, in Greenville, Mississippi, was the youngest child of Roy K. and Beulah Baird Shepherd. He was a lifelong member of First Baptist Church, Greenville, Mississippi. He attended Greenville Public Schools and graduated from Greenville High School in 1942. While in high school he played lead trumpet in the Tiger Bob and His Bearcats Band. He served in the U. S Army during WWII from 1943 – 1946. After military service, he graduated from Delta State University in 1950 with a B.S. degree in Business Administration. He was in the business world for 27 years and was employed by Henderson and Baird Hardware Company of Greenville. He surrendered to the gospel ministry at the age of 52 and was ordained on June 12, 1977. He served 22 years as Minister of Missions and pastor of the Chinese Mission at First Baptist Church, Greenville, Mississippi. He also had a jail ministry for eight years at the Greenville City Jail. He served as past-president of the Washington County Baptist Association and was supply pastor for many local area churches. His books and historical papers are on file at Mississippi Department of Archives and History. The oral history of his life and his work with Mississippi Delta Chinese are on file at the University of Southern Mississippi, Delta State University, and the University of Southern Illinois at Carbondale. He was the author of nine books and one book of poetry. He was a member of the Delta State Alumni and a 67 year member of the American Legion. He was the recipient of the “Angel Among Us” award. In 1996 he achieved his life-long dream of traveling the Holy Land.
He was preceded in death by his first wife, Lou Lamon Shepherd, his brothers, Roy, Phil, and Bobby Shepherd and sisters Mildred Rushing and Louise Pace. Survivors include his wife, Nan S. Shepherd, daughters Jackie Beckwith (Bill), of Taylor, Mississippi, Anne Combest (Gene) of Germantown, Tennessee, and , Millie Smith (Bobby) of Philadelphia, Mississippi, step-son Ken Farmer (Pam) of Brentwood, Tennessee, step-daughter Leta Crawford of Greenville, grandchildren Clay Beckwith, Laura Dacus, Blair Combest, Jacob and Josh Smith, Cameron Farmer, Martin and Emily Crawford and two great-grandchildren.
The family will receive friends from 1:30-3:00 p.m. in the First Baptist Church Chapel on Sunday, August 18, 2013. In lieu of flowers, memorials should be sent to First Baptist Church, 407 Main Street, P. O. Box 1163, Greenville, MS 38702.