Lynn Robert Shepherd

With profound sadness, we announce that Lynn Robert Shepherd passed away peacefully at the age of 85 on Monday, May 18, 2026 after an arduous battle with metastatic cancer. 

Lynn was born on December 21, 1940 in Birtle, Manitoba. The third child, and first born son to Bert and Margaret Shepherd. He spent his early years in Minburn, Manitoba getting into all manner of shenanigans with his two older sisters and four younger brothers while Bert was overseas fighting in WWII. He was particularly close to his oldest sister Madge, who shared his sense of humour, and his brother Keith, who was just 13 months younger than him and had an incredible talent for mischief. 

In 1955, the family moved to Victoria to reunite with Bert who had moved there in 1950 to establish a home and stable income before uprooting the rest of the family. Lynn stayed there, until he enlisted in the army and was sent to Calgary, Alberta for Basic Training. This was when he met and married Shirley Wiebe.  Although, ultimately they parted ways, together they had three sons, Doug, Len and Rick. During that time, Lynn–who at that point in his life was simply known as “Shep”–was posted to the Gaza Strip for UN Peacekeeping as part of the Signal Corp, took parachute training and fearlessly jumped out of the massive Hercules helicopters, and was briefly posted in Egypt for Peacekeeping. 

In 1970, while on military exercises in Wainwright, Alberta, Lynn started dating Phyllis Murray whom he had met a few years earlier at a Stampede dance at the Elks Hall that Lynn had attended with a bunch his buddies from the base. Phyllis stepped in and asked him to dance to prevent him from fighting when he was told they couldn't get up on the stage to sing.  They met again at the Wainwright Officers mess where she helped out in the kitchen for the summer.  They were married in Wainwright that December and moved back to Calgary. They went on to have three daughters, Lynnelle, Carolyn, and Geriann “Sam”, and eventually seven grandchildren whom he adored.

Lynn opted not to re-enlist once back in Calgary. Instead, he began working in the trucking industry.  He spent the rest of his working life in many different roles in the industry until he retired at the age of 70 following his second mini-stroke in under a year.  He decided after retiring to buy an RV so that he and Phyllis could take their grandkids camping just as they had taken their daughters years before, but more comfortably.

Lynn was a proud man with an incredible work ethic, a deep love for his family, and approached life with a boyish enthusiasm. His sense of humour was unparalleled…nothing gave him greater pleasure than teasing his loved ones…or random people for that matter.  He'd always say, "I'm just doing my job...giving you a hard time". He was always ready with a quick jibe, a sarcastic remark or a terrible joke, all told with his signature smirk. 

He raised his daughters to have the attitude that there was nothing they couldn’t do. If they needed something done, he was always there to show them not only how to do it themselves but also to make sure they did it properly. Whether it was making pancakes (which he did every Sunday), mowing the lawn, or changing the oil in their cars, he firmly believed there was a right and wrong way to do everything.

Lynn was one of toughest men there was, he was a fighter. He survived prostate cancer in his mid 60s, two mini-strokes at 69, stage 4 diffuse large b-cell lymphoma including 5 rounds of chemo at 81, after which he had to regain the ability to walk. When he was told that he had metastatic cancer in January of this year, he opted for hospice care but he never really stopped fighting.  He wanted to ensure that all his loved ones were okay.  He was still cracking out that smirk and throwing witty jabs at the family and nurses at every opportunity. 

Lynn was a man who loved deeply and was loved by so many.  His loss leaves a gaping hole and he will be immeasurably missed.

Lynn is survived by Phyllis, his wife of 55 years; his children Len (Connie), Rick (Michelle), Lynnelle (Rob), Carolyn (Tom), Geriann “Sam” (Damian); his grandchildren Stephanie (Antony), Julian (Jasper), Madeline (Cody), Grayson (Alexis), Coulsen, Liam (Hannah), and Emmett; his sister-in-law Grace (Wayne), brother-in-law Duane; as well as numerous nieces, nephews and extended family.

He was predeceased by his eldest son Doug, his parents Bert and Margaret; parents-in-law Edwin and Angeline; sisters Madge (Ralph), and Pat; and brothers Keith (Jill), Grant, Wayne, and Dale.

A Memorial Service will be held at Evan J. Strong Funeral Services North (3625 12 Street NE) on Thursday, May 28, 2026 at 1:00pm with a reception to follow. A recording of the service is available below.

The family would like to express their deepest gratitude to Dr. Sharma and all the amazing caregivers (too numerous to name) at Dulcina Hospice for their outstanding care and compassion for Lynn and our whole family over the last few months. You are truly remarkable people.

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