William Shepard III

William H. Shepard III
Age 97, formerly of Rock Stream, NY, passed away at Bethany Village Manor in Horseheads on January 2, 2019.

The family will receive friends at the Royce-Chedzoy Funeral Home, 212 E. 4th St., Watkins Glen on Thursday (Jan. 10th) from 1pm-2pm, followed by a funeral service at 2:00pm and burial at Rock Stream Cemetery.
He is survived by 2 daughters, a son, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of 57 years, Louisa, in 2009; and brothers James, Albert and Robert Shepard, and a sister, Margaret Layton.

Bill was born and raised in Montour Falls and graduated from Cook Academy. He studied electrical engineering and graduated from Carnegie Tech. After graduating, he served WWII in 1944 in the US Naval Reserve in the South Atlantic. After the war, he got his first job at General Electric. He later met his future wife Louisa and they married and moved to Rock Stream. They raised their family in Rock Stream while Bill worked as an engineer at Shepard Niles. Bill was an early and enthusiastic advocate of personal computers. He was a long-time member and Elder of the Rock Stream Presbyterian Church. Bill also served as member of the Yates County Planning Board.

After his wife passed away in 2009, he reluctantly moved to assisted care living at Bethany Village. He gradually warmed up to the idea of living in a new home and enjoyed the time spent with the dear friends he made there, both residents and staff. In typical fashion, he made his time useful and served on the Resident Council at Bethany Village. The family would like to offer their heartfelt thanks to the staff at Bethany Village Courtyard and Manor for all the love and care given to their father.

For those wishing, in lieu of flowers, you may consider a memorial donation in Bill’s memory to “Bethany Retirement Home”, Attn: Lynne Gaylord, 3005 Watkins Rd., Horseheads, NY 14845. You may also express condolences to the family or “Light a Candle” in Bill’s memory online at www.RoyceChedzoy.com