Jeanne Murray Hale Shepherd

Jeanne Murray Hale Shepherd, a beloved teacher for generations of students at St. Martin's Episcopal School in Metairie, died in Baton Rouge on January 22, 2019, at age 93. She is survived by her loving children, Bonnie Hobden (Jim), Anne Breitschwerdt (Ed), and Tommy Shepherd (Madeleine); her precious grandchildren, Melanie Hobden O'Leary, Catherine Hobden Cline, Rebecca Hobden, Brett Breitschwerdt, Kyle Breitschwerdt, Colin Shepherd, and Alee Shepherd Dixon; nine great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dudley T. Shepherd; her parents, Albert and Emma Hale; her sisters, Mary Hale Schroeder and Annette Hale Burns; and her brother, William Hale. A graduate of Sophie Wright High School and Agnes Scott College, she began her teaching career at St. Martin's school in Metairie in the mid-1950s and remained on the faculty until retirement three decades later. Widowed at an early age, she successfully raised her children as a single parent, and put into practice the motto of St. Martin's by living an active life of faith, scholarship, and service. For many summers she served on the staff of Camp Monterey in Tennessee, which became a cherished place for family members of three generations. In retirement she volunteered as a literacy tutor and as a docent at the Historic New Orleans Collection. Before moving to Baton Rouge in 1995, she was an active member of St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church in New Orleans. Special thanks to the caregivers at Old Jefferson Community Care Center in Baton Rouge for their loving care of her over the past three years. The family will hold a private celebration of her life.