Baldy Family - Rest in Peace Marion Shepherd (Updated Obituary)

 

MARION SHEPHERD (MABEL)

APRIL 10, 1927 - JANUARY 23, 2024

Marion Mabel Shepherd

April 10, 1927 – 23 January 2023

Our mom, Marion Mabel Shepherd (née Cartwright), decided she had enough grey winter weather and passed away peacefully in her sleep in her own home, a few months short of her 97th birthday. She was born and raised in Invermere, BC, and met her life-long love, Gordon in the Radium Hot Springs pool, where he was perfecting his diving skills.   Marion was predeceased by her husband Dr. Gordon Shepherd; her in-laws Roy and Colleen Shepherd; her sisters Mary Ball and Edith McLean; and her brother Gilbert Cartwright.
She is survived by her sons Bruce (Lexy) and Lance (Karen); grandchildren Endrené, Sandy, Sage, Kade, and Kassandra; and great-grandchildren Zen and Saffron.
Marion was a devoted wife and mother, and was Gordon’s faithful answering machine for years! They travelled the world together, seeing everything from polar bears to coral reefs.  Marion was a member of the Anglican Church and also volunteered for many community organizations including the Hospital Auxiliary; docent at the Osoyoos Museum; founding member of the Baldy Ski Club and the Osoyoos Golf Club.  She was an amazing knitter and leather crafter, belonged to bridge and book clubs, and was often found gardening.
We hope that she and Dad are now together and exploring a flower-filled alpine meadow.
Her ashes will join Dad’s later this spring when the earth is warm and flowers are blooming.  We will celebrate her wonderful life then; details for this will be provided at a later date.

In lieu of flowers please consider donating to Doctors Without Borders at https://action.msf.ca 

Our thoughts are with Bruce, Lance and their families. Marion was an exceptional person, soft spoken, and a very good friend to many, including my Mom who was a few weeks younger.

There are many in our community who have a life long connection to the Shepherds, there are at least two of us on my end of Porcupine Road who were delivered by Dr. Gordon Shepherd.

The Shepherd cabin was next door to our family cabin, and Marion was very involved in the administration of the Borderline Ski Club during Lance's ski racing days. I recall a meeting in the Cafeteria at the Osoyoos School, where a handful of us met to discuss the future of the club. Some attending thought the club should be dissolved. Marion's position was that the club should remain, so it would be there if others came along with an interest in ski racing.

We were so fortunate in the mid-eighties when a prospective buyer of Baldy defaulted, and the community tried to find a way to take over operation of the ski area. Thanks to Marion, Borderline Ski Club was still an organization in good standing, with operating a ski hill in it's constitution, since the 60's.

Marion's family made it possible for her to remain in the family home until the end. Years ago, I used to house sit for them - a beautiful view of the lake.

Marge MacLeod would often invite her bridge group to Baldy, and some of their games would be in the bar - to support the mountain.

Barb Smith (on the bench dealing the cards) is still well and living in Rock Creek. The other three, Marion, Barbara Fenwick-Wilson and Marge MacLeod, along with Ethel Van Duzee now have a foursome up there to play bridge again.

Marion and Marge watching the skiers go by, during a break from bridge.