Lynette Russell Shepperd

Lynette Russell Shepperd

January 9, 1934 ~ November 3, 2025

Lynette Russell Sheppperd was born on January 9th, 1934, in Alvarado, Texas, the sixth of eight children, to Otto Merton Russell and Minnie Ola Riggle Russell. She departed this world on November 3rd, 2025, at the age of 91.

In 1938, at age 4, Lynette, by way of a memorable ride in a rumble seat underneath a starry night sky, came to Waco, where she lived the rest of her life.

She had fond memories growing up in East Waco with her friends and siblings participating in activities at the Methodist Church, speaking fluent "Pig Latin", walking downtown to see movies, and spoke of how the boys would holler, "Swing and sway the Sammy Kay way," as she walked up the steps at school.

At the age of seventeen, while on an outing with friend, Etta Mae, Lynette met her future husband, James Shepperd, and instantly disliked him due to his ducktail hairstyle, tattoo, and cigarettes rolled up in his white t-shirt sleeve. It wasn't until she accepted an invite to his jobsite, where she witnessed James' carpentry skills, specifically "the rhythm in which he used a hammer", that she instantly fell in love.

James and Lynette were married on July 3rd, 1952. They created Shepperd Construction Company, a successful home-building business, and started their family of three. Son, Michael, was born in 1953, Brenda in 1957 and then there was the oops baby, Jamie Lyn, that came along in 1965.

Lynette was always an active and adventurous person. She was once the team captain of a competitive synchronized swimming team and later taught swimming at the Y. She also went on many hunting expeditions, some harrowing, up into the mountains of Colorado, Wyoming and New Mexico with her husband. Her favorite destinations included Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Durango, Colorado. She also enjoyed white-water rafting with Ruth McAnitch; Mardi Gras and Vegas trips with the party girls - sister, Nell, and niece, Debbie; and California trips to visit her niece, Pat, as well as time spent in Oahu with friends Ann and Rico.

Closer to home, Lynette enjoyed camping at Lake Whitney: swimming, skiing, fishing and cooking out until that one time she threw a cigarette out the truck window on the way to the lake, burning all the camping equipment up. She also loved drinking coffee and "gossiping" with the coffee crew, Madge, Linda, Van, Willie and Roe at the Lakeview Drugstore and getting chicken at the Chicken Shack every Sunday. Lynette loved looking good and having her hair done by Dixie at the salon across from the James Connally Air Force Base, keeping up with good friends Helen Pryor, Cora Henderson and Cleo, and going to boat races, car races and parties with friends, AC & Evelyn Parsons.

Lynette loved having a good time with her beautiful friend, Eva. She also loved a good beer joint and picking up friends, Cecil Clater and Shirley Gassaway, in her Jeep, taking the country backroads to Buddy's, the Rogers Hill beer joint, where she liked to meet up with Carol McCoy, have a cold beer and play the jukebox, listening to her favorite "honky tonk" music.

The 70's and 80's were known as her Kenny Rogers era. She went from brunette to blonde and owned every Kenny, Waylon and Willie 8-track ever made. All her clothes came from The Gap and oh how she loved a white shirt. Everything had to be white from linens to her car, but especially her shirts. She and her sister, Nell, snuck off to see Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic at Carl's Corner in this era and that is when she became a Willie Nelson super fan; and we can't forget Elvis, she loved him, too.

When she wasn't burning up the gravel roads around her country home in whatever latest cool car she had, she was riding her horse, Sonnett, with her daughters and their friends on trail rides, not knowing that those fun times were leaving positive life-long imprints on the likes of the Pryor girls, Amber Ashcraft and Sherri Hill, to name a few.

She also loved to talk on the phone to her sisters, with that long phone cord stretching all around the kitchen as she cooked and talked at the same time.

Lynette wasn't one for tradition. She was an outside-the-box thinker. She had diverse spiritual views and was curious about everything, from the bible to the writings of Carl Sagan. Lynette was not a fan of most modern medicine practices or big pharma. In fact, when asked if she wanted a Covid vaccine in 2020, her reply was, "No, I believe I'll be like Kenny Rogers and know when to hold 'em and know when to fold 'em."

In recent years, while having a pedicure at a nail salon, she witnessed the actor William Shattner's ride into space, and it was at that time that she became enamored with him. An avid reader, she read all his autobiographies and was inspired by his positive attitude and zest to keep going, despite his age. She kept an autographed photo of him on her wall that said, "Beam me up, hottie". In recent days, she had a dream in which she married him that she said was, "great".

She attributed her longevity to her daily 4:00 happy hour, having one glass, sometimes two, of Riunite Lambrusco, often feeling the need to let us know her drinking wasn't because she liked it but that it was healthy, like eating a bowl full of grapes.

Lynette had a way with words, frequently saying hysterical, instead of historical and her phrase of encouragement was usually, "You better psycho your mind," meaning psych yourself up. As she aged, she would frequently remind herself, "If you don't use it, you lose it," and that she was still "young, rich and beautiful!" Lovely letters from life-long friend, Mart Padgett, also kept her going.

At 91, she was preceded in death by many people she held dear, including her husband of sixty years, James Shepperd; son, Michael Shepperd and his wife, Debby; all of her siblings, Francis Olean (Kuppie) Anderson, Wanda Russell Homburg, OL Russell, Kenneth Russell, Evelyn Brown, Vleta Nell DeMonney and Bonnie Brookshire as well as grand-daughter, Megan Self.

She is survived by daughters Brenda Self and Jamie Perry, son in law Danny Perry, grandchildren Angela Davis, Jason Kunkel, Ashley Self, Zac Self, Shelton Shepperd, Sterling Shepperd, Skyler Shepperd, Rikki Bender and Justin Perry; great grandchildren Madison Garrett Davis, Corbyn Walton, Jase Garrett, Kaidy Kunkel, Finnley Powell, Zevi Powell, Arlo Powell, Piper Shepperd, Sloane Shepperd, Shooter Shepperd, Georgia Scout Shepperd, Addy Grace Shepperd, Elliott Bender, Ramona Bender, Levi Perry, Laken Perry, Russell Perry Sumner and Hendrix Perry.

Just a few days ago, with great clarity, Lynette expressed her love for all of her family and friends, and asked that we all "keep the faith."

At her request, there will be no service.

The family would like to thank Dana and Blain Brookshire for their recent assistance in obtaining great care for Lynette and extend a very special thank you to Lynette's nephew, Nathan Brookshire, who kept a loving watch over Lynette and brought her comfort in those final days.

While gathering information for the funeral home, her daughters discovered a hand-written note from her that sort of sums it up, "You will probably have to pay out of pocket if you want my passing date on my headstone, but don't worry, I've gone to another world aboard the alien mothership. The best is yet to come. "

Lynette Shepperd Memorial Video

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