My tribute to a great man - Eddie Shepherd

When I think of Eddie I think of:

Faith: Eddie was blessed with deep and true faith. Never one to parade it before others, but always living it out each day, in all he did, and with all he met. He lived his beliefs with purpose and forethought.

Constancy: He was always constant in his promises, to his love for others and to his purpose.

Commitment: Eddie was deeply committed, to Mom, to his children and step-children, to his sport, to the choir and to God.

Fun: Eddie enjoyed having fun. I remember the dinner dances he took Mom to, the Shows they saw together, hunting and fishing with Grandpa and all the wonderful trips around South Africa he went on with Mom and friends.

Eddie always began with the end in mind…like having dessert before the main course.

He was sentimental. I can remember the love notes he would leave Mom on the condensation of the windows on winter mornings.

Above all he had great sight…
He saw the truth
And could spot birds better than anyone I know.
He taught me to look beyond the obvious…not just the pretty bold birds, but to seek out those that always get overlooked…the little brown birds. This he did this in life too.

He loved music and one of his favorite songs he could sing so well. I believe he is singing this song for us today:

I see trees of green, red roses too…
I see them bloom, for me and you.
And I think to myself…what a wonderful world.

I see skies of blue, and clouds of white.
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night
And I think to myself…what a wonderful world…
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky.

Also the faces of people going by,
I see friends shaking hands, say how do you do?
They’re really saying, I love you.
I hear babies crying. I watch them grow.
They’ll learn much more than I’ll ever know.
And I think to myself…what a wonderful world.

Yes I think to myself…what a wonderful world.

By Louis Armstrong

Eddie was always present: He was at every birthday party for his grand children, all my family events and even the children's school concerts. He loved being called Grandpa.