Cover photo for Alice Marie Shepard's Obituary
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1919 Alice 2017

Alice Marie Shepard

December 4, 1919 — June 19, 2017

Alice Marie Foster Shepard passed away on Monday, June 19, 2017 in the Willow Brook Court at Lanier Village Estates in Gainesville, Ga.Her funeral will be held Saturday, June 24, 2017 at 4 PM in the Carnegie Baptist Church, Carnegie, GA with Rev. Shannon Morris officiating.A private, family only burial will follow in the Carnegie Cemetery with Rev. Jackie Williams officiating. Active Pallbearers will be Ernie Ford, Joe Whittaker, Lee Shepard, Walter Barrett, Harold Andrews, Ray Joiner and Chad Cole. The family will receive friends for a visitation starting at 3 PM in the Sunday School Classroom adjacent to the sanctuary.
Alice Marie Foster Shepard was born on December 4, 1919 in Mobile, AL.She was the daughter of Grace Manry Foster of Edison, GA and Dr. Edward E. Foster of Cayman Brac, BWI.During her childhood, Marie lived in Tampico, Mexico and later Maracaibo, Venezuela, where she learned Spanish and developed her life-long love of the language.In 1941 Marie graduated from the University of Georgia in Athens.Later, she earned both her M. ED. and Ed. S. degrees from UGA.
One June 9, 1940, Marie married her high school sweetheart, John L. Shepard, Jr. of Carnegie, GA.She was a classroom teacher for 14 years before becoming Curriculum Director of the Tift County School System.She also served as Language Arts Director for the Dougherty County Schools for 6 years until her retirement.She was a member of Delta Kappa Pi, Delta Kappa Gamma, International Society for Key Women Educators, and was listed in Who's Who of American Educators in 1976.
Soon after her retirement, Marie began to lose her vision to Macular Degeneration, and was declared legally blind at the age of 59.Five years later, a second tragedy occurred—her dear husband John died after a brief illness.Marie responded to these staggering losses with characteristic strength and resilience.Perhaps as a kind therapy, she continued to pursue her goal of compiling and writing a family history.The result was In Place Through Time:Our Manry Line, published in 1987.
The family would like to express special gratitude to the caregivers and staff at Willow Brook Court at Lanier Village Estates in Gainesville, GA for their loving kindness during Marie's last years.
Preceding her in death were her mother, Grace Manry Foster, her husband John L. Shepard, Jr., sister Carolyn Foster, sister-in-law Carolyn Shepard Culpepper, special "cousin friend" Winnie Manry Ford, and many dear aunts, uncles and cousins.She is survived by her two children, son John L. Shepard III and wife Diane and daughter Judy Shepard Barrett and husband Norris; grandchildren Lee Shepard, Christie Shepard, Walter Barrett and wife Donna, and Nikki Barrett Cole and husband Chad; and great grandchildren Madison Tullos, Chloe Marie Barrett, Caroline Cole, and Stephen Cole.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Alice Marie Shepard, please visit our flower store.

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