George 'Ben' Sheppard, 91

Beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather and Great-Grandfather, George “Ben” Sheppard, 91, of Pinehurst, passed away Nov. 25, 2012, at the Mountain Valley Care & Rehabilitation in Kellogg. He was born Sept. 8, 1921, in Lemhi County near Salmon. Ben was the son of George R. and Mary “May” (Steele) Sheppard.

Ben was raised on Boyle Creek (now Tower Creek) out of Salmon. In 1943, he entered the U.S. Army with basic training in Mt. Hood, Texas, and was given the opportunity to join the 10th Mountain Division Special Forces Unit in Vail, Colo. Ben served with the Company C in Italy and Germany during World War II.

Ben married Louise Reynolds on Jan. 7, 1946, in Hamilton, Mont. After his marriage to Louise, Ben entered the field of mining and spent all but five years of his life in Idaho. Ben, Louise and four sons had many friends in many mining towns or camps. The family moved to the Silver Valley in 1960 from Rice, Wash. Ben had worked at the Sunshine Mining Company as a shift boss, until his retirement in 1982. Ben and Louise opened The Silver Capital Arts in Wallace with Norm and Carla Radford in 1982; they sold out to the Radford’s in the fall of 1985. In 1985, Ben and Louise became snow birds and spent most of their winters in Apache Junction, Ariz., until 2005.

Ben was well-known for his craftsmanship of intarsia, silver and gold smith work. He served as a Federation Judge at many gem and mineral shows throughout the Northwest. Ben had an extensive mineral collection at one time, with guests stopping by to view the collection from all over the world. Ben was a member of the Mountain View Congregational Church in Kellogg, a member of the SCAMPS Gem & Mineral Club and a member of the Osburn VFW No. 1675.

Ben loved and enjoyed his family, hunting, fishing, prospecting, hiking, shooting — he loved the outdoors.

Ben is survived by his beloved wife of 66 years, Louise Sheppard of the family home in Pinehurst; three sons and their wives, Ben W. (Monica) Sheppard of Cataldo, Dennis “Rusty” (Judy) Sheppard of Wallace and Patrick (Shannon) Sheppard of Curlew, Wash.; a daughter-in-law, Barb Sheppard of Delta Junction, Alaska; five grandsons, four granddaughters and 18 great-grandchildren; he is also survived by numerous nieces and nephews. Ben was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Steven Sheppard; four brothers and one sister.

Cremation was held and memorial services will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Dec. 3, 2012, at the Mountain View Congregational Church (formerly the United Church of Kellogg) in Kellogg with Rev. David Langer officiating.

The family suggests that memorials may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.

You may sign Ben’s online guest book at www.shoshonefuneralservice.com.

Shoshone Funeral Services & Crematory, Kellogg, is entrusted with the funeral arrangements.