Richard Charles Shepard's Obituary
Richard “Dick” Charles Shepard, 91, of St. Louis, Missouri, passed peacefully on January 15, 2026, surrounded by his wife and children.
Richard was born on February 2, 1934, in St Louis, Missouri, to Joseph Matthew Shepard and Evelyn Anna Hill. He lived his entire life in the St Louis area, a city he loved and to which he contributed so much. He earned an engineering degree at Washington University and an MBA at St Louis University. While at Washington University, Richard was an ROTC cadet, serving post-graduation as a Lieutenant in the US Army in San Antonio.
Richard met the love of his life, Judith Ann Diesem, working together at Union Electric (now Ameren). They raised four lively children – Scott, Brad, Stephanie, and Matt. As a family, they embarked on countless adventurous holidays, creating a lifetime of memories. They had a house filled with laughter, tears, games, movie nights, extended family, friends, and dogs (so many dogs). While the phrase “Wait until your father gets home” was a familiar refrain in the Shepard house, the truth is Richard and Judi were always a team. Richard adored Judi and told her so every day.
Richard spent most of his career in commercial real estate, receiving the Daniel F. Sheehan Sr. Lifetime Achievement Award from the St. Louis Association of Realtors in recognition of his commitment. He worked for 21 years at Linclay Corporation, the last eight as President and CEO. He went on to establish his own commercial real estate consulting firm and was instrumental in helping University of Missouri – St. Louis bring the national headquarters of Express Scripts to their campus, earning him the Creative Deal of the Year Award (2005) from the St. Louis Association Realtors. A sought-after expert in land dispute matters, he continued to work for clients well into his late 80s. He simply loved what he did.
Alongside his work, Richard contributed significantly to local organizations and programs. He served on the boards of the St Louis Art Museum, Boy Scouts of America (St Louis Area Council), the St. Louis Archdiocesan Finance Council, the Archdiocesan Trust Fund, Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School, the Urban Land Institute, and SLU’s Urban Planning and Real Estate Development programs. He received the Boy Scout’s Silver Beaver award for his contribution to area youth and the Building Community Award from the March of Dimes. He and Judi were long- time parishioners at Annunziata Catholic Church.
Richard led a full life devoted to family, faith, and community. A quiet man by nature, in his later years he was never happier than sitting in a large armchair amidst the swirling chaos of his children, grandchildren and, more recently, great granddaughter. When asked how he managed to stay married for 66 years, he would simply answer, “love”.
Richard is survived by his wife, Judi, and four children: Richard Scott Shepard (Karuna) of Asheville, NC; Bradley Stephen Shepard (Caroline) of St. Louis, MO; Stephanie Ann Shepard Cobb (Shane) of London, UK; and Matthew John Shepard of St. Louis, MO; his seven grandchildren: Nathan O’Neill Shepard-Casey, Bradley Ian Shepard (Polina), Hanleigh Ann Shepard (Ian), Isabelle O’Connor Shepard, Zoë Ann Cobb, Liesel Shepard Cobb and Atticus Shepard Cobb; his great granddaughter, Vivian Lucy Shepard; and many loving nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother and sister-in-law (Jack and Anita).
As charitable in death as he was in life, Richard donated his body to St Louis University Medical School.
A funeral mass will be celebrated at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 31, at the Church of the Annunziata, 9305 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO 63124, followed by a reception in Annunziata Church Hall.
If you cannot join the service in person, please join at https://www.Annunziata.org, click onto “Website”and then onto “Televised Mass".
In lieu of flowers, in memory of Richard, please donate to the Muny through https://www.muny.org/support/donate/. Please include in the notes section that the donation is in memory of Richard Shepard.
Services by Hughes Funeral Alternatives in St. Louis, Missouri. Friends and family can sign an online guestbook at https://www.HughesFA.com
What’s your fondest memory of Richard?
What’s a lesson you learned from Richard?
Share a story where Richard's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Richard you’ll never forget.
How did Richard make you smile?