RONALD T. SHEPHARD

Shep, Ron, Ronny, Professor Shephard, Mr. Peanut, lover of hockey, tennis, linguistics, and Hawaiian sunsets, enthusiastic promoter of his four daughters and seven grandchildren. He died October 13, 2021, after 86 years of a full life. Ron will be remembered by his wife of 58 years, Dawn, and daughters Mary Donaghy (and her late husband Greg), Suzanne Shephard (Robin Dawes), Meg Stokes (Pete) and Michelle Shephard (Jim Rankin). He will be dearly missed by his beloved grandchildren, Brian, Katie, Michelle, Michael, Stephen, Natalie and Kelly and also amateur therapy dog, Parker. Born in Toronto, to a Scottish mother and Irish father, his first education came on the streets of the city's west end, staying out of the way of the Beanery Boys and getting after-school jobs by the age of 12. At De La Salle high school, he fell in love with academia and eventually became a professor at the University of Toronto's Faculty of Education. Shep could do a mean Charleston, a skill he learned during university days dressed as a gentleman Mr. Peanut, riding the Planters Peanuts floats in parades throughout eastern Canada. A 1970s sabbatical in Oahu to get his Doctorate of Education began his enchantment with Hawaii, and a successful travel business called "Villas of Hawaii." He spent many retirement years escaping Toronto's winters in Maui, with Dawn, good friends, and a roster of rotating daughters and grandchildren. He never tired of waiting for that elusive green flash, alongside those lucky enough to watch sunsets on the lanai with him. Shep was a passionate hockey player into his 70s, competing in old-timer tournaments in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. And he was a determined educator, author of five English high school textbooks, and devastated that his daughters never really learned how to spot a dangling gerund. Even with that grammatical shortcoming, he was incredibly proud of his daughters and grandchildren and all they've accomplished. There will be a small mass for family. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Muscular Dystrophy Canada or your charity of choice.