Johnny Wayne Shepherd, 67, of Mannford, Oklahoma passed away on December 20,2022 after a long history of health issues.  Johnny was born in Denver, Colorado on May 18,1955 to Connor and Eva Shepherd.  As a child his family tended to move every several years, so Johnny lived in many different climates.  His first move from the Denver area was to Yakima, Washington.  Then they moved back to Missouri for a short time where he and his siblings lived with their aunt Billie and 7 cousins. Quite the house full.  Next, they moved on to Winganon, Ok.  Johnny and his brother David enjoyed the country life there as they could walk out their back door and go hunting and fishing.  After a short move to Nowata, OK., which is where little sis Leslie was born, they landed in Wagoner, OK and then finally to Okay, OK, a tiny town on Fort Gibson Lake.  Johnny graduated there from Okay High School.  After a year or so Johnny joined the navy, following his older brother Dave into the naval service.  While he was stationed in South Carolina he met a woman named Georgia whom he later married. They settled down in a town called Summerville, S.C. which is about 15 miles from Charleston, South Carolina.   After Johnny left the Navy, he started working for the South Carolina Port Authority unloading cargo ships.  It did not take long before Johnny was promoted to dock Foreman and began supervising others, but he was still always out on the dock holding a clipboard.  Johnny had a favorite fishing hole not far from where they lived.  It was a channel that ran between two different lakes.  Drift fishing for catfish was his passion.  He always told his dad and brother that they didn't know what fishing was until they had fished this channel. His dad and brother and Sister-in-law Melanie fished this place many times with him while visiting and they all agreed there was no other place like this.  We are talking catfish weighing 10lb and up as a natural everyday thing.  His brother Dave was in the boat with him one time when Johnny snagged a 28 pounder, and it was pulling the boat around the channel.  Johnny and Georgia were very active in their church until her death in 2017.  Johnny was having health issues himself, so brother Dave and little sis Leslie talked him into moving back to Oklahoma to be closer with family.  Brother Dave, Brother-in-law Ben Patteson and Great nephew Christopher Patteson headed to Summerville, rented a u-haul and moved him back to Oklahoma to Mannford.  Johnny would tell anybody and everybody that he loved being back with family and how he enjoyed living in Oklahoma once more.

Johnny is survived by his older brother David Shepherd and his wife Melanie of Sand Springs, OK., their two children Tara Dawson and Husband John of Tulsa, OK., their Son Brett Shepherd and wife Angela of Owasso, Ok., Johnny's younger sister Leslie Bark of Gravette, Arkansas and her two boys Ethan and Jared of Gravette, Arkansas, his niece Candace Workings of Sherman, Tx , nephew Chris Patteson of Oklahoma City area ,Brother In Law Ben Patteson of McAlester, Oklahoma and countless other Grand nieces and nephews and cousins whom he loved dearly.

Funeral service will be 11 a.m., Friday, December 30, at the Mobley-Groesbeck Chapel. A short lunch will be served for family members and friends at brother Dave's house after the reception in Sand Springs and before the 2:30 pm military service in Ft. Gibson, Ok.  Address is 604 E. 11 ^th St, Sand Springs, ok (just a 3-minute drive from the funeral home)

The service will be live webcast for those unable to attend: https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/82580.