Eugene Meredith Shepherd III

Our family wants you to know about the incredible man Dr. Gene Shepherd, who passed away July 1, 2025 surrounded by family and in the care of hospice. Gene never met a stranger, turned everything into a compelling story – poignant, educational, humorous, caring -- and loved his family in every way. His kindness and genuine interest in the people he met resulted in many long-term friendships.
He treasured his family so much that he wrote a 100-page book of stories of his life so that his grandchildren would know him when he was gone. The son of Nashvillian "Poppy" Shepherd, a.k.a., the "talking-est man you ever did see." Gene inherited the trait of greeting and speaking to almost every person he saw while walking in the morning or pretty much anywhere.
He was always active and loved tennis as a young man, hiking in national parks and snow skiing. Later in life, golf was his passion, especially when he played with people as competitive as he was. An avid reader of everything from biographies about past presidents to Pulitzer Prize winning novels, he loved to share with us his learning and thoughts about everything from new creatures discovered on the bottom of the ocean to the origins of words.
His humor and wit were quick and appeared throughout his everyday life, causing friends and family to frequently erupt into laughter. The stories he told were from throughout his life and revealed his creativity, his ability to laugh at himself as well as his family. We was a skilled memoirist of his life, sharing stories on the local NPR station WFIT, as well as a gifted quirky sketch artist of animals.
Dr. Eugene M Shepherd, III, known to his friends as Gene and grandkids as Shep, was born in Nashville, Tennessee on May 5, 1947. He attended David Lipscomb in Nashville from preschool to college, later attending medical school at Washington University in St. Louis and completing his residency at the University of Miami (FL) where he became a neurologist. In 1977, Gene and his family moved to Melbourne where he joined Melbourne Neurologic. As a practicing neurologist for more than 35 years, he treated many people with dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and other illnesses of aging. An excellent mentor, he was proud to be one of the original founders of the Health First Memory Disorder Clinic where he worked with Florida Tech neuro-psychology students for decades, teaching them about brain function and structure, how the brain is affected by memory issues, and what can be learned from MRI's and CT scans. Gene maintained and cherished his friendships with many of his students long after they graduated.
He passionately loved and was beloved by his family, and the many cats that shared his life. Gene is survived by his wife of more than 38 years, Marilyn J. Waters, his sister, Colleen Dixon of Nashville, his three sons, David (Karen), Jon (Tina), and Jesse (Megan), his grandchildren Ben (Thu), Sam (Sapphire), Ella, Sy, Rose and felines Jimmy, Lily and Pinkie.
Ways to honor Gene:
Please consider donating to the (Health First) Memory Disorder Clinic. This multidisciplinary team offers free assessments and refers people who need further testing to specialists in the field. Donations will fund only Memory Disorder Clinic services and can be sent to:
Health First Foundation
Health First Memory Disorder Clinic Donation in honor of Dr. Gene Shepherd
1350 S. Hickory Street
Melbourne, FL 32901
Be sure state your donation is for the Memory Disorder Clinic
A service will be held later this year. No flowers, please.