There’s a sympathy card at the Mount Angel coffee shop. There’s a new Facebook page with more than 700 friends, photos of a smiling family, messages of encouragement, and the pain of shared loss. There’s a memorial account and an online fund. In all these ways, the communities that were a part of Joshua and Jennifer Shepherd’s lives are reaching out to help a family devastated by a careening car on a rain slicked road May 18.
The Sheperd family was returning home to Mount Angel after a visit to Eastern Oregon. They were on Highway 20 just east of the Santiam Summit in Jefferson County when another car crossed the center lane, striking their Honda. Joshua Shepherd, 33, was pronounced dead at the scene. Jennifer and their two children, Liam, 4, and Penelope, 1, were transported to Bend, then Jennifer and Liam were flown to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center and Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland. Penelope, uninjured, was released to relatives. Liam went home a few days later. Jennifer remains hospitalized, undergoing a series of operations to repair internal injuries and broken bones.
Joshua was a supervisor at Kraemer’s Nursery in Mount Angel; Jennifer is a stay-at-home mom. Liam just graduated from Sunshine Preschool in Silverton.
Once the news of the accident spread, friends from both communities rallied to help sustain the family. A garage sale was set for May 30 – 31 at 402 N. First St. in Silverton to benefit The Shepherd Family Fund. A memorial fund was set up under Jennifer Shepherd’s name at US Bank in Mount Angel. Online, www.gofundme.com/9er4k0 takes visitors to a fund to help the family deal with the financial stress of their new situation.
A funeral service for Joshua Shephard was scheduled for May 31 in his hometown of Burns, Ore. A memorial service is tentatively set for July 26 in Mount Angel. For updates on Jennifer’s recovery and the service schedule, see In Loving Memory of Joshua Shepherd on Facebook.com.
