Donna Elaine Drennan Shepard

RENDON - Donna Shepard, 55 years, principal of Mary Orr Intermediate in Mansfield, died Thursday, July 1, 1999, at an Arlington hospital.
Funeral: 2 p.m. Saturday at First United Methodist Church in Mansfield. Burial: Emerald Hills Memorial Park in Kennedale.
Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday.
Donna Shepard was born April 17, 1944, in Susanville, Calif. She graduated from Ranger High School in Ranger. She earned a bachelor of science degree from North Texas State University in Denton, a master of education degree from Tarleton State University and her administration certificate. She touched thousands of lives with her dedication to public education. She served the Mansfield Independent School District for over 20 years at Tarver Rendon Elementary School, Worley Middle School and Mary Orr Intermediate School. She was preceded in death by her sister, Linda Yarbrough, in 1996, and her father, J.D. Drennan, in 1991.
Survivors: Husband, Dick Shepard of Rendon; son, Jim Shepard and his wife, Becky, of Austin; mother, Evangeline Brewer of Everman (Tarrant) ; brother, Jim Drennan of Atlanta, Ga.; sister, Carol Naegele of Eastland; grandchildren, Ben, Jessica and Emily Shepard; and numerous nieces, nephews and loving friends. Blessing Funeral Home Mansfield,
473-1555

DONNA DRENNAN SHEPARD, 55, died in 1999. Cancer was not a private
battle for Donna Shepard. She took it into the street and into
the offices and classrooms at Mary Orr Intermediate School, where
she was principal.
She carried her chemotherapy treatments in a fanny pack or backpack
and, eventually, pulled her intravenous nutrition behind her in a
rolling luggage bag.
A year ago, a liver transplant gave cause for optimism, but the
cancer reappeared and spread. After a four-year fight, she died
yesterday morning at an Arlington hospital. She was 55. Burial
was at Emerald Hills Memorial Park in Kennedale.
Mrs. Shepard, who lived in Rendon, almost never missed a day of
work. She was a teacher of life, forcing students to see not only
a cold reality of the world but also sheer determination and caring,
said those close to her.
"Even though she was really ill, she would always have a smile,"
said Matt Ellison, an eighth-grade who was a former office aide
for Mrs. Shepard. "She was never depressing to be around, but you
always knew she was hurting. But she wanted to be there. That's
what she needed to do."
Born April 17, 1944, in Susanville, Calif., Mrs. Shepard worked
28 years in education, including two as an Arlington teacher and
20 as a teacher and later an administrator in Mansfield. She was
appointed principal at Mary Orr Intermediate in 1994. In 1996,
she became only the second administrator to win the district's
Mile Award, generally reserved for innovative teachers.
Last summer, after recovering from her transplant, Mrs. Shepard
donned a hard hat and helped oversee the final construction of
the new building for Mary Orr.
"I just thank God that she was able to open Mary Orr," said dis-
trict spokeswoman Sherilyn Conn, fighting back tears. "That made
all the difference in the world. It would not have been the same
if she hadn't."
Doctors declared Mrs. Shepard cancer-free after the transplant
but in December she underwent hip replacement surgery after a
tumor was detected. Again, she appeared free of cancer until
it was discovered in her stomach in early spring.
Nevertheless, she achieved her goal of finishing the school year,
said Alma Martinez, acting principal at Mary Orr.
Mrs. Shepard's closeness to the students is one of her legacies.
It also made her vulnerable to a prank in April 1997, when an
employee told her that a drunken man was threatening children
outside. She bolted through the front doors, fists clenched,
only to find about 800 students and staff members standing on
the grounds, releasing helium balloons and chanting "Happy
Birthday."
"These kids are my life," she said moments after the surprise.
"Without them I might just give up."
At the time of her death, Mrs. Shepard is survived by her husband,
Richard Shepard of Rendon; son, Jim Shepard of Austin; mother,
Evangeline Brewer of Everman; brother, Jim Drennan of Atlanta;
sister, Carol Naegele of Eastland; grandson, Ben Shepard; and two
grand-daughters, Jessica and Emily Shepard.
Her sister Linda Drennan Yarbrough (RHS Class of 1960), also died
of cancer.