John Shepard

John W. Shepard, Jr.
July 21, 1921 – February 1, 2014

John Watson Shepard, Jr., Ph.D., 92, of Waco died peacefully, surrounded by loved ones, on Saturday, February 1, 2014.

Dr. Shepard was born on July 21, 1921 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, He was the son of missionaries John W. and Rena Groover Shepard.

Dr. Shepard graduated from Mississippi College in 1942 with a BA in history. He received a Masters degree in history from Vanderbilt University in 1945, followed by a Master of Divinity from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky in 1947.

He married Jean Prince on June 9, 1948 at the First Baptist Church in Camden, Arkansas. They began their married life by studying Chinese together at Yale University in preparation for their career as Baptist missionaries. After China was closed to missionaries by the communists, they were reassigned to Japan, arriving in 1950.

Dr. Shepard taught at Seinan University in Fukuoka, Japan and worked in Japanese churches until his retirement in 1983. He served as Director of Religious Activities at Seinan and helped establish Meinohama Baptist Church. During his first furlough from the mission field, he earned is PhD. in Christian Ethics from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

During later furloughs, he taught at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina and in the Sociology, History, Religion and Modern Foreign Languages departments at Baylor. After retirement, he continued to teach at Baylor.

His favorite Bible verse was Proverbs 3: 5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him,
 And He shall direct your paths.”

He is survived by his wife of 65 years and children: John W. Shepard, III of Waco; Margaret S. Thomson and husband Basil of Waco; Douglas K. Shepard and wife Lori of Austin; and Alan T. Shepard of Oklahoma City.

He is also survived by his grandchildren: Courtney Camejo and husband David; Michael Shepard; Andrew Shepard; Christopher Rowan and wife Brittany; Matthew Rowan and wife Laurie; Robert Thomson and wife Lauren; Nathan Shepard and wife Kourtney; Sarah Shepard; Casper Shepard; and Jessica Shepard. He also survived by four great-granddaughters: Abigail Rowan, Kate Rowan, Harper Rowan and April Shepard.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, February 8th at Seventh & James Baptist Church. Visitation will be from 5:00-7:00 PM on Friday at OakCrest Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may sent to Seventh & James Baptist Church, 602 James Avenue, Waco, TX 76706 or the Baylor University Endowed Scholarship Fund.