John Richard Shepherd DDS

September 23, 2017

John Richard Shepherd, DDS, 86, of West Hartford, passed away peacefully on September 23, 2017 with family by his side. John was a devoted father and grandfather. His family and his dental practice were the joys of his life and his patients were like family. He was a brilliant teacher and had wisdom and knowledge of dentistry that was ahead of its time. He was a man of action and never idle for a moment. He was a man of strong moral character and a friend to all. When not with his family or seeing patients, he was running, biking, landscaping or gathering litter in Elizabeth Park that others seemed not to see. His wife, Ella Mae, was the love of his life and best friend, they worked side by side for more than 60 years. He was born on May 31, 1931 in Pittsburgh, PA. He attended, New Kensington High School in New Kensington, PA; Villanova University (1953) Villanova, PA; University of Pittsburgh Dental School; Graduate Periodontics Dental Program at Tufts University, Boston. He was a retired Colonel with the United States Army. He practiced dentistry in West Hartford from 1970 to 2016. John leaves behind his wife of 61 years, Ella Mae (Jones): 10 children: John, Jr. (Susan Delaney), Leslie (Stuart Frank), David, William (Theresa Lester), Susan, Michael (Dana Baltauskas), Thomas, Daniel, Kathleen (Thomas Hansen) and James: 23 grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, a large extended family, and many friends. Calling hours will be on Tuesday, October 3, 2017 from 11 AM – 1:00 PM at Molloy Funeral Home, 906 Farmington Ave. West Hartford, CT followed by a 2:00 PM funeral Mass at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 872 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT.