Jo Nell Rae Sayers Shepard

Jo Nell Rae Shepard, 61, of Payette, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2015 at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center in Boise. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 28th at the United Methodist Church in Payette. Cremation and services are under the direction of Shaffer-Jensen Memory Chapel, Payette. Condolences may be made to Jo Nell's family at www.shaffer-jensenchapel.com. She was born June 24, 1954, in Ontario, Oregon. She grew up on the family ranch southwest of Ontario. She attended Treasure Valley Community College and Oregon State University, earning a degree in elementary education. After graduation, her first job was at a one room school house in French Glen, Oregon. While there, she taught 12 children - grades 1 through 8 - from surrounding ranches. She ran the whole school by herself. The next closest school was 60 miles away in Burns. After that, she taught twelve years in New Plymouth, Idaho, and finished her career teaching at the Payette Primary School. Along the way, she married Dan Shepard and together they had a romance that has lasted 43 years. She loved children and it showed in her devotion to her teaching and collaboration with fellow staff members. She worked hard to keep her classroom stimulating and loved interacting with her students. She loved decorating for holidays, crafting and scrapbooking. She belonged to a group, lovingly known as the "Flakes," who provided her with love and support during her recent illness. She was preceded in death by her mother, Donna; her father Martin; and her oldest sister, Marty Jane. She is survived by her sister Mary Lynn (Roger); her brother Jim (Debbie); sister Dava (John); brother in law Henry Hudgins (Anna); and husband, Dan, whom she loved well. She has numerous nieces and nephews across the world, and she loved keeping up with them on Facebook. Instead of flowers, please consider making a donation to find a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, c/o Shaffer-Jensen Memory Chapel, P.O. Box 730, Payette, Idaho 83661.

Service Details.

Service

When: Saturday, November 28th, 2015
Location: Funeral Home
Address: