2025 SESSION

ENROLLED

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 491

Celebrating the life of Jackie Francis Shepard, Jr.

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 20, 2025

Agreed to by the Senate, January 23, 2025

WHEREAS, Jackie Francis Shepard, Jr., a longtime resident of Spotsylvania County who touched countless lives as a youth athletics coach, died on October 26, 2024; and

WHEREAS, born in Fredericksburg, Jackie “Jack” Francis Shepard, Jr., spent most of his life in nearby Spotsylvania County and graduated in 1977 from Spotsylvania High School, where he cultivated his lifelong passion for football; and

WHEREAS, Jack Shepard's childhood job as a newspaper delivery boy ultimately defined the majority of his professional career; he worked as a truck driver for several local companies, including J.F. Fick and Fredericksburg Distributing before he joined McLane Mid-Atlantic, a regional division of one of the largest distribution leaders in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Jack Shepard was an avid storyteller who relished every opportunity to share his tales of life on the road and the people he encountered along the way; and

WHEREAS, Jack Shepard was well known in the community as a coach, having mentored countless young people in at least three sports over the course of more than four decades; he emphasized the importance of leadership development, and many of his former players carried his life lessons with them as they achieved success in higher education and careers and started families of their own; and

WHEREAS, Jack Shepard also brought joy to others through his kindness and generosity as a jack-of-all-trades who volunteered his time and talents to help friends and neighbors in need with a wide range of projects; and

WHEREAS, outside of his career and community service, Jack Shepard was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, fishing, or simply spending time enjoying a peaceful day in the woods; his annual trips to the beach were legendary, with Jack and his grandchildren often turning mundane errands into grand adventures; and

WHEREAS, Jack Shepard will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by his wife of 31 years, Kelly; his children, Allison, Jesse, and Caitlyn, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Jackie Francis Shepard, Jr., a highly admired member of the Spotsylvania County community; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Jackie Francis Shepard, Jr., as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.