B. J. Shepherd

Belt Junior "B.J." Shepherd, 67, of Grants Pass died Sept. 20, 2010, at his home after a brief battle with cancer. A celebration of his life will be held Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. at North Valley Assembly of God, with Curt Thorne, pastor, officiating. A potluck will follow. Contributions may be made to North Valley Assembly of God, P.O. Box 130, Merlin, OR 97532. He was born Jan. 11, 1943, in Okolona, Ark., to L.M. and Lucille Shepherd. After his parents divorced, he was raised by his father and stepmother, Jeannie Shepherd. They moved to Glendale, where he attended school. On March 10, 1961, he married Rowena Miller. They had two children and later divorced. On Sept. 30, 1983, in Bakersfield, Calif., he married Jackie Lee Fox, who survives. For most of his life, he worked in the timber industry. At the time of his death, he was employed by South Bay Timber Co. as a truck driver. He enjoyed watching NASCAR on TV, hunting, horses, team penning, sand rails and traveling. In addition to his wife, survivors include a daughter, Michelle Shepherd of Veneta; a stepdaughter, Kim Nieto of Yacolt, Wash.; his mother and stepfather, Jeannie and Bob Cottriel of Grants Pass; two brothers, Jerry Don Shepherd of Merlin, and Larry Shepherd of Grants Pass; two sisters, Jan Brown of Medford, and Helen Alarie of Grants Pass; his former wife, Rowena Miller of Springfield; four grandchildren and a great-grandchild. A son, Scott Shepherd, died in 1968; his father, L.M. Shepherd, died in 1988; and a stepson, Ricky Don Cornelius, died in 2009.