Betty Shepperd

Obituary:

http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/WISHAWAN/2003-10/1067...

West Central tribune (Minnesota) October 31, 2003

Betty D. Shepperd Sept. 6, 1937 – Oct. 28, 2003

WILLMAR -- Betty Doris Shepperd, 66, of Willmar died Tuesday at Rice Memorial Hospital in Willmar after living with cancer for three years.

The service will be at 3 p.m. Monday at Vinje Lutheran Church in Willmar with the Rev. Steven Knudson officiating.

Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar and one hour prior to services at the church. Memorials preferred to The Betty Shepperd Memorial Hospice Library.

She was born Sept. 6, 1937, in Shawano, Wis., to Stanley and Dagmar (Hanson) Westgor. She grew up in Wittenberg, Wis., graduating from Wittenberg High School in 1955. She continued her education at Los Angeles State College in Los Angeles and California Lutheran School of Nursing, graduating in 1959.

She married Luther Shepperd on Aug. 1, 1959, in Wittenberg. They lived in California where she worked at California Medical Center as head nurse of obstetrics. In 1962, they moved to Minneapolis, where she continued her work in obstetrics at Mt. Sinai Hospital. In 1967, they moved to Jamestown, N.D., where she was head nurse and emergency room and evening supervisor at the Jamestown Hospital. In 1974, they moved to Willmar and she joined the staff at Rice Memorial Hospital. Over the years she held several positions including staff nurse, head nurse of emergency room services, admission coordinator and outreach coordinator; and in 1980, she became the head nurse of the medical/oncology and Hospice coordinator. In 1984, she began working full-time as Hospice coordinator, until she retired in 2002. She was also a co-founder and co-owner of Granmar Property Management and S.E.A Educational Seminars.

She volunteered on many boards including EMS-Region 6E; Widowed Persons; Minnesota Governor’s State Council on Youth, Families, and Children; Willmar Area Chamber of Commerce; Willmar BPW; Salvation Army and Ridgewater College Campus Board. She was the national coordinator for Women Helping Girls with Choices, past president of Minnesota State Hospice Organization, Willmar BPW, Gamma Epsilon, Willmar AVTI Advisory Board, Willmar Police Civil Service Commission and past chairman of American Cancer Society special events fund raising.

In 1983, Betty received the Willmar BPW Woman of the Year Award. In 1984, she was appointed as Minnesota counselor to the National Council on Future of Women in the Workplace. She was the recipient of Willmar Sertoma Club Service to Mankind Award in 1986, Willmar Eagles Humanitarian Award in 1988, state of Minnesota commendation by Gov. Perpich for work on the Governor’s Council on Children, Youth and Families in 1989, Minnesota Nurses Association Distinguished Service Award, and Willmar Outstanding Citizen Award in 1989, Marvelous Minnesota Woman Award by Gov. Carlson in 1991, and the Willmar Noon Kiwanis Touch-A-Life Award in 1994. She also was elected to the National Hospice Organization Board/Northwest Central Region representative, serving three-year terms in 1992 and 1996. Most recently, she received the 2003 National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Founders Award.

Betty was a member of the Minnesota Nurses, American Nurses, District 8 Nurses, and Hospice Nurses associations. She was also a member of Minnesota Hospice Organization, Council of Hospice Professionals, Rice Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, and Willmar BPW. Recently, she was instrumental in organizing the Scarlet Rogues Chapter of the Red Hat Society.

She is survived by her husband; children, Scott, Jill (and Bob) Carlson, and Jodi (and Brian) Nelson; and one granddaughter.

She was preceded in death by one brother and one sister.