Ruth Shepard

Long time parishioner Ruth (Graber) Shepard, age 92, passed away on Saturday, September 12, after spending the last three years in an assisted living home in the southern part of the city. Ruth's funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, September 19, preceded by the rosary, and she will be buried in Mt Olivet Cemetery this week. Ruth was born on June 16, 1923, and received the Sacrament of Baptism on July 24, 1923. She received her First Communion in May 1930 in Ft Worth, Texas, and the Sacrament of Confirmation in May 1936 at St. Philomena's Parish in Denver. Ruth entered the novitiate of the Sisters of Loreto but after a period of time she had to leave so she could care of her ailing parents. She received a Master of Arts Degree from Loretta Heights College. Ruth's first husband died shortly after the wedding and later she married Stanley Shephard on June 6, 1969, in St. John the Evangelist Church in Denver; he died seven years later. Having no children of her own, Ruth became a caretaker for the children of a family she loved dearly and was also involved in real estate sales. While she had visited Holy Name many times while a Sister of Loreto, she became a regular member of Holy Name Parish in November of 1969. Ruth devoted herself to being active in the parish; she was part of The Marys, the St Vincent de Paul Society, the Denver Deanery of the Council of Catholic Women, and the Hearts of the Knights Ladies Auxiliary. She served as an usher, lector, and Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion, and was involved in the Neo-Catechumenal Way Community when it was in the parish. Please share your memories of Ruth and condolence messages with her family below.