Virlyn Noel Sheppard, (Shep), of Summerfield, FL, passed away at home, surrounded by his family, on December 19, 2016, at the age of 77, after battling stage 4 colon cancer for nearly six years. He was born March 6, 1939, in Savannah, GA. He graduated from Commercial High School in 1957. He served as a member of the National Guard, 18th Armored Division 48, before joining the US Navy in the fall of 1957. While serving his country, he was an Engineman aboard the USS Sellstrom and USS Parsons until he was honorably discharged in 1961.
Following his service in the Navy, he was employed by Pan American Airways, on a guided missile range in the Bahamas, as an electrician, machinist, and power plant operator.
In 1965, his childhood dream of repairing and maintaining diesel engines in locomotives became a reality when he was employed by Seaboard Air Line Railroad, which later became Seaboard Coast Line Railroad after merging with Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. While working with Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, in 1967, in Hialeah, FL, he had the distinction of being the youngest Locomotive Foreman.
In 1971, Virlyn went to work for the newly established Auto-Train Corporation as a Diesel Shop Supervisor. In 1976, he began working for Amtrak as a Master Machinist of Motive Power in New Orleans, LA. He was promoted to General Foreman and transferred to the 21st Street Diesel Shop in Chicago, IL, where he married Kathy Sloane in 1979. Shortly thereafter, he returned to work for Auto-Train until 1981 when he was hired by Burlington Northern Railroad in Alliance, NE. In 1982, he was promoted to Diesel Shop Foreman and transferred to Lincoln, NE. He enjoyed being in first-line supervision at BNSF Railroad until his retirement in 1995. While in Lincoln he was extremely pleased to join the Masonic Order, and became a Master Mason at East Lincoln Lodge 210 and took his 32nd Degree at the AA Scottish Rite in the Valley of Lincoln, NE.
Upon retirement, another of Virlyn’s dreams was fulfilled with the purchase of a sailboat named Essa which took him, and his wife, Kathy, three years to make seaworthy. During the years working on Essa in St. Petersburg, he joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary becoming an Instructor and valued member. From 1998 to 2004, they lived aboard Essa which was anchored in the Florida Keys, offshore from Islamorada. It was said to be the most photographed boat in the Keys because the setting sun made it an irresistible background for romantic evening photos. They also did some cruising from Slidell, LA to the Dry Tortugas to Wilmington, NC, and particularly enjoyed the unique variations along the Intracoastal Waterway.
In 2005, Virlyn and Kathy gave up their seagoing lifestyle to come ashore to care for Kathy’s mother, who was ill. They bought a home in Summerfield, FL and sold Essa. They enjoyed spending time with family and friends while doing a little traveling. When not traveling, Virlyn took great pleasure in improving their home by adding a deck, a fence, a workshop which includes a ham radio room and a tractor shed, as well as mowing the lawn and trimming the 60 plus oak trees on the property. In addition to improving his home, he took great pleasure in helping family and friends by maintaining their lawns and property until 2011, when his illness and treatments began to make him too weak to continue.
His love of life and sense of humor was evidenced by sharing stories and telling jokes to everyone whose path he crossed. He is greatly missed by all those who knew and loved him, including his dogs, Chewy and Mushka.
Survivors include his loving wife of 37 years, Kathleen Sloane Sheppard; his children: Michele Bowers of Gainesville, FL; Karen (Ron) Zulian of Rincon, GA; Virlyn D. (Jill) Sheppard of Titusville, FL; and Sharon McGowin of Biloxi, MS; his sister, Myrtle (Russell) Chapman of Montgomery, AL; grandsons, Craig Ladner; Tyler (Jen) Ladner; Shawn Ladner; Garret Baker; Branden McGowin; and Christian McGowin; granddaughters, Jennifer (Steve) Hall; and Brittany (Patrick) McCart; five great-grandchildren; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and beloved friends. He was predeceased by his parents, George Clary Sheppard and Althea Elise Zittrouer Sheppard, and his granddaughter, Sarah Bowers.
The following poem was penned for Virlyn by his cousin and dear friend, Joe Sheppard, on February 1, 2011
Ode to Ye Old Salt of the Sea
May your vessel be sturdy and its sails strong,
with winds to your back to horizons unknown
What lies beyond is anyone’s guess,
but of this we can be certain,
awaits a haven of rest
So take heart Ye Old Salt of the Sea,
time’s still in your favor,
now let your spirit be free.
This is so very weird…just yesterday I had a thought pop into my head…”I wonder how Virlyn is doing…”. Now I understand it was a message.
Working with him in Lincoln was a challenge and a joy. He had so many sayings, however, only a few can I share here! In regards to locomotive maintenance: “It came in running…didn’t it?” “It’s got a drawbar on either end you can push it or pull it.” He was also the master of the understatement as in the time of a railroad strike we were assigned to run switch engines in the yard. He was leaving one morning as I was coming in and said: “You know that switch engine in the pocket, you might want to look at it. I think I bumped into it a little last night.” I did look at it and he had hit it so hard it knocked the draft gears out of both ends! Railroaders will understand that is a significant hit! No wonder his back hurt him occasionally. His understatement made me laugh so hard I couldn’t even be mad at him!
He was an unusual and wonderfully entertaining character. He will be missed in the world. I was indeed fortunate to have him pass through my life.
Bill Martin
I worked with Verlyn as a supervisor at Lincoln and there are so many stories that i can not share also, one i will always remember Verlyn wanted a locomotive moved out of the shop wright now he did not get his wish so he said we will sling the locomotive out using the over head Crain in the shop huk the cable to the drawbar run the crain with a body in the cab to set brakes when there is enough speed slow the crain down and let huk fall out locomotive will roll out of the shop, only problem was the huk would not fall out of the coupler and the crain was at the stopes with locomotive half way out of the shop, did not stop Verlyn went to employee parking lot got in his pickup and a long log chain huk to front coupler and finish pulling locomotive out. What a guy!!
I worked for Virlyn at Lincoln also. He always had something up his sleeve or a funny storyou to tell. I to have many storystudents that I can not share here, but if you knew Verlander you know why.
I’m just glad I got to talk with him last March and of course he had to bring up a situation he got himself into and we had a good laugh.
My condolences to you his family. We all loved him.
I was so blessed to have this wonderful and amazing man in my life, he and my father worked together at auto train and then at Amtrak, we all moved to Louisiana. Like a second daddy to me, I love him. He surely will be missed by those who love him. Such a fabulous man he was, I would like to think that he and my father are back together again and just chilling because they both were workaholic’s and loved working on those locamotive. I am Also blessed to be Best Friends with his daughter Karen for many years now. I love you daddy, you were such an amazing inspiration in my life, but We all will be together again in heaven. So until then I know you will be telling jokes being the prankster you are. Again I love you. Hoping you are doing just fine in God’s hands, you will probably be entertaining our heavenly Father also. Until I see you again rest easy, and DAD try and behave your self.
I would like to thank each person who takes their time and leaves a message. I am still finding things out about Virlyn (Shep) and the more I find the better the book I started for him, “The Man, The Myth, The Legend”, will show him for what he truly was. A great, loving, creative and imaginative man who thought outside the proverbial box. He was a wonderful husband and fabulous friend.
If you would like to share some thing(s) about him I would dearly love to hear about them. His way of saying things certainly did not live down to his constant saying, “I’m dumb and slow and I’ from the south.” whenever he was asked how to do something, or “Better learn this sh.. boy, I ain’t gonna be ’round here forever!”
With love and appreciation,
Kathy Sheppard
When I transferred to the diesel shop in 1995 Virlyn was my supervisor. We did not get to know each other to well on account of Virlyn’s retirement. Virlyn Jr. is the one I got to know and I have to admit we had some fun. Virlyn I would like to express my sympathy’s to you and your family for the lost of your dad. May God grant you and your family his peace and comfort all of you on these tough days.
Gayle Kelly
Virlyn was the best brother a girl could have. I am very thankful that he was mine! I miss him very much.
So sorry to hear of Virlyns passing. Virlyn was man you couldn’t help but respect and admire.
I’ve been so busy taking care of my mom….if I got word, I didn’t realize it. Virlyn was an ole salt for sure. My husband and I met him first about 10 years ago. When we were able to meet Kathy, I looked at Virlyn and said, “How did you rate that?” He said, “Beats the hell out of me.” All got a good laugh! Never knew what he was going to say next…. see you in heaven my friend!