KUNA, ID – Dean Stanley Shepard passed away peacefully on November 7, 2019, at the age of 83, surrounded by his family in Kuna, Idaho.
Dean was born September 22, 1936, in Shoshone, Idaho to Frank and Lillian Shepard. He was a proud member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Kansas.
He grew up in the Shoshone Idaho area with open ranges, rivers and lots of fun outdoor activities with his family and friends.
After graduating high school, Dean moved to northern Utah where he met the first love of his life and married Judy Ann Larsen. They had three children; Becky, Douglas, and Shelly. They relocated to Idaho Falls, Idaho where he applied and was accepted in the local fire department. He loved all aspects of his job and steadily moved up the ranks to finally become the department’s Fire Inspector. He taught many trainees their individual assigned duties throughout his tenure there. His next step moved him back to Utah as a prison guard at the state penitentiary, which he truly enjoyed and performed with pride.
Dean loved anything in the outdoors. Camping, fishing, hunting and hiking were among his favorites. He enjoyed many hunting trips to provide his family with much-needed food for many years. He took his young family on many camping trips to the mountains and also took them to the desert to ride dirt bikes which he taught each of his children to do so they could ride as a family. He took his family several times a year to play in the snow with toboggans, hot chocolate, and bonfires. He loved to tell scary stories around the campfire. He had much love for his woodworking crafts and spent many hours whittling, carving and making wooden objects.
Dean found the second love of his life in Utah, Barbara. They married and eventually moved to various cities within Idaho and lastly to Kuna, Idaho.
Dean is survived by his wife Barbara, two daughters, Becky and Shelly, seven grandchildren, Tracie Ann, Sheenah, Samuel, Isaac, Amber, Danny, Jeffrey and thirteen great-grandchildren, Patrick, Kyler, Caleb, Tia, Dakota, Bailey, Amethyst, Sterling, Amber Star, David and Tyler.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank R. Shepard and Lillian (Bates) two sisters, Leona and Linda, one brother Dewayne, and his son Douglas.
- Courtesy of the Shepard family