Thelma (Sluder) Shepherd

Thelma Sluder Shepherd, age 92, of West Jefferson and Creston, passed away on Wednesday, October 20, 2021 at her home. Mrs. Shepherd was born on August 11, 1929 in Ashe County to William Edgar and Stella Osborne Sluder. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Weldon Shepherd; brothers Fred Sluder, Ralph Sluder, and Walter Clyde Sluder; and a sister Helen Sluder Trivette.

Mrs. Shepherd was a loving and very active mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She retired from Sprague Electric and then worked for the Ashe Mountain Times and the Jefferson Post. She was a founding member and queen of the Riverview Red Hatters. Mrs. Shepherd was a member of Peak Valley Baptist Church. She was active with the Riverview Community Center and volunteered at local nursing homes and the Museum of Ashe County History. She enjoyed working jigsaw puzzles, cooking, sitting on the porch, and spending time with family and friends.

Mrs. Shepherd is survived by daughter, Anita Pack of West Jefferson; granddaughter, Rachel Dugger Adams, her husband, Phil, and two great-grandchildren, Lawson and Claire Adams of Winston Salem, North Carolina; two sisters-in-law, Nellie Sluder and family of Wilmington, Delaware and Nell Sluder and family of Mountain City, Tennessee; and several nieces and nephews.

A graveside service will be held on Sunday, October 24, 2021 at 1:00 pm at Ashelawn Memorial Gardens by Rev. Steve Witherspoon.

The family will receive friends following the service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Riverview Community Center, PO Box 64, Creston, North Carolina 28615.

Words of comfort and remembrance may be viewed or sent to the family through our website or condolences may be mailed to the family in care of Anita Pack, P.O. Box 1049, West Jefferson, NC 28694.