June Picetti SHEPPARD

SHEPPARD, June Picetti Long-time Sonoman, June Picetti Sheppard passed at the age of 101 on Tuesday, January 16, 2018 after a brief illness. Born in 1916 in a still-standing Craftsman on the corner of Fourth and East Napa Streets, June graduated from Sonoma Valley High School in 1934. Her grandparents owned a ranch on the old Napa Road, shipping crates of orchard fruit to San Francisco by train. Her father, John Picetti, owned a furniture company and served as mayor of Sonoma in the 1940s. She married portrait painter George Sheppard in 1940. The couple lived in Marin County, where they raised three children. When her husband died in the mid-1980s, June moved back to Sonoma. For approximately two decades, she was an enthusiastic volunteer for Friends in Sonoma Helping (FISH), which provides food and clothing for the disadvantaged. She also volunteered as a docent with the Sonoma League for Historic Preservation, and volunteered in many other ways. June was named Alcadessa, also known as the Honorary Mayor, in 2005, based on her lifetime of service. June loved traveling, particularly visiting art museums in U. S. cities, something she did into her 90s. She is survived by her three children, Carol Dal Bon, Susan Ahola, and David Sheppard, three grandchildren, Michelle Wright, Angela Dal Bon and Sara Ahola, and two great-grandchildren. A celebration of June's life will be held at Sonoma Valley Community Church, 181 Chase St., Sonoma, at 3 p.m. on Sunday, January 28. A reception in the church will be held immediately following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation or to a local organization benefitting the fire victims. .