GYDE VANIER SHEPHERD

(June 2, 1936 - December 25, 2025) Gyde Vanier Shepherd was born in Montreal on June 2, 1936, the only son of Frances (née Vanier) and William Shepherd. Family was at the centre of Gyde's life. In 2025, he and his beloved Rosemary (née Findlay) celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. Gyde and Rosemary raised their four children - Philippa, Gyde (Marie-Claude), Thomas (Mara), and Ben (Karla) - in Ottawa. He was a kind, thoughtful and loving husband, father, and grandfather to Emily, Ella, Sadie, Isabela, Alejandro and Gabriela, and his playful sense of humour lives on in family lore. Gyde attended McGill, and went on to do graduate studies in history, political science and art history at Oxford and Harvard universities. He began his professional career as an art historian, curator and arts administrator under the dynamic direction of Jean Sutherland Boggs, working on preparations for the National Gallery of Canada's Expo 67 exhibits in Montreal, a moment of cultural optimism and renewal. Gyde and Boggs both played a central role in the realization of the new National Gallery building on Sussex Drive. Gyde was committed to making the gallery accessible, welcoming, and meaningful to people from all walks of life. He saw cultural spaces as places of reflection, connection, and shared humanity - values deeply aligned with his Christian understanding of service. Gyde also made a major contribution to the funding of emerging artists through his four decades of service as a board member and adjudicator for the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation, which awards grants to early-career artists. Gyde returned to Harvard in the early 1990s to complete his PhD with the encouragement and support of Rosemary. His dissertation, A monument to Pope Pius II: Pintorichio and Raphael in the Piccolomini Library in Siena, 1494-1508, is a foundational study of late 15th-century fresco cycles. Above all, Gyde was a devoted husband, father and grandfather. His Christian beliefs gave him a steady hope that carried him through both life's joys and challenges. He was a founding board member of L'Arche Ottawa, and he lived his faith through service, generosity, and love, trusting in grace rather than recognition. Gyde Vanier Shepherd died on December 25, 2025 - a day that for Christians speaks of hope and new life. Though he is deeply missed, those who loved him take comfort in the faith that sustained him throughout his life and in the example he leaves behind. Gyde's memory and presence lives on in his spouse, Rosemary, his children and grandchildren, in the institutions he served, and in the countless lives touched by his kindness, his curiosity, his intellect, and his faith. Frends are invited to visit at the Central Chapel of Hulse, Playfair & McGarry, 315 McLeod Street, (at O'Connor), Ottawa, on Thursday, January 8, 2026, from 1 - 5 p.m. Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Friday, January 9, 2026, at St. Joseph's Church, 174 Wilbrod Street, Ottawa, at 11:00 a.m. Condolences/Tributes/Donations Hulse, Playfair & McGarry www.hpmcgarry.ca 613-233-1143