Edward Richard Sheppard

Edward Richard Sheppard, also known as Rick to his family, passed away on November 11, 2021 at the age of 70. He passed away at St. Clare Hospital in Lakewood. The Lord saw that he had finished his work on earth and took him home, to rest peacefully in the arms of Jesus, but only for a short rest.

Ed was born in 1950 in Tacoma, Washington to Edward Robert and Laura (Fisk) Sheppard and he was raised in Puyallup.  He had an older brother, Frank Sheppard, at the time of his birth, who passed away in August 2021.  He also has a surviving younger sister, Carol Frederick. Ed graduated from Puyallup High School in 1970. He attended Green River Community College to get his Avionics AA degree. He entered the Army National Guard in 1973, where he served until 1977. Ed spent his entire 39-year career working with The Boeing Company at the Renton and Seattle locations. He retired in 2012, due to health reasons, as a Boeing/FAA/Customer Liaison Inspector.

In 1976, Ed married Beatriz Sommer and they had two daughters, Rebecka Miriam Colin (Kevin) and Lori Elizabeth Suprunowski (Bill). They raised their daughters in the Puyallup area, where Rebecka remains. Lori now lives in the misty mountains of Eastern Washington as Rebecka describes it, or too far out with the bears and cougars, as her dad used to say.

In 2001, Ed married Christy Ryckman, and added a stepson to his family, James Daniel Ryckman (Jordan), who currently live in Puyallup. Ed moved to Buckley, Washington, where he was living with Christy, his “Princess,” at the time of his passing. 

Ed has five grandchildren, Kaelyn, 2007; Ryan, 2008; Mina, 2009; Alyssa, 2010; William, 2013.

Ed is also survived by nephews Steve Sheppard, Tyler Schenkel, Thomas Craft, Stephen Craft; nieces, Tressa Amundson, Brenna Hayward, and sister-in-law Patricia Craft.

Ed always wanted to travel into outer space and see all the planets, aboard the USS Enterprise, the space ship and not the aircraft carrier. He loved watching Star Trek and sci-fi originals from his man cave, with lots of audio/visual gadgets and big screens. He will be able to do his intergalactic traveling very soon, after a short rest! 

He also enjoyed bowling and had his own red bowling ball, red being his favorite color, that he kept throughout the many years. Some of his favorite activities were swimming, boating, traveling, and dancing. Ed was known as the disco dancing king at any celebratory function and always said, “I was trained at Arthur Murray Dance Studio!” However, he would wear any partner out with his robotic moves.

He also very much loved eating, and appreciated all cuisines. The deaconesses at his church were always more than willing to accommodate his special requests: pies, hamburger, chicken… He was always actively involved with his church, always willing to accomplish whatever was needed; however, his favorite volunteer position was Minister of Prayer. 

He loved amusement park thrill rides, water slides, salt water fishing, and camping. But he was always willing to try new things, even in his later years; wake boarding, knee boarding, surfing, racing at the race track, riding quads to name a few. He was always young at heart!

Most of all, Ed enjoyed his family, friends, church family, and his four-legged “Princess” Olivia. He was well loved and had a wonderful sense of humor.  He was a very strong man with an inner strength who loved his family and would do anything for them. They loved him equally in return, but most of all he loved the Lord and prayed daily for all his family to be together in heaven for eternity. Ed will be missed by so many of us, but we have this Blessed Hope and know we will be reunited with him very soon!

If anyone would like to make a memorial contribution in Ed’s name, he would be pleased if it was made to Wounded Warrior Project, support.woundedwarriorproject.org/donate. He had such a heart for our wounded veterans and their families. He had a great appreciation for their sacrifices on our behalf and always said, “There but for the grace of God, go I.”

We will be having a memorial service for Ed, tentatively scheduled in January 2022, at the Enumclaw Seventh-day Adventist Church, his home church. The memorial will include a meal and pies in honor of Ed. This information will be provided in the near future. If not notified by January 1, please call/text Lori Suprunowski at 253-213-3649 or email at Lski81@outlook.com.

Ed is safely and peacefully resting in the arms of Jesus and we will keep him alive in our hearts and minds through stories, conversations, memories, and pictures to help ease our pain of missing him. We will see him again soon, healed, healthy, and with all of us joining him in his heavenly home, which was his deepest desire.

“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Ps. 42:11

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