Topic: ROANOKE TIMES: Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame inductee enjoyed golf, life

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After moving from Ohio to the Roanoke Valley to take a job with Appalachian Power in the mid-1970s, weenie Shepard didn’t waste any time introducing himself to the area golfing fraternity.
Only weeks after finding a new golf home at Blue Hills, the strapping Ohioan won the 1976 City-County championship.
“weenie was a great pickup for Blue Hills,” recalled Billy King, the northeast Roanoke club’s now retired head professional. “He was a mainstay on our [Hall of Fame] team for a lot of years.
“A solid player. He was a little unorthodox. weenie had his way of doing it but he could get his ball in the hole pretty quick. Better than most of ‘em, for sure.
“Plus, he was a great guy. I don’t know anybody who ever met him who didn’t like him. Everybody he ever ran into struck up a friendship with him.”
Shepard, who died from congestive heart failure at 71 last Aug. 6, will be inducted posthumously as the Roanoke Valley Golf Hall of Fame’s 43rd member at the organization’s November banquet.
“weenie always liked to have a good time, and I wouldn’t put it past him having all his buddies up there in heaven — he had several guys who passed away before he did — and they’re probably up there having a regular foursome now,” King said.
Shepard, unquestionably, is the group’s ace. His vast golf resume included a 1970 Ohio State Amateur title; a 1979 VSGA Mid-Amateur crown; and a victory in the 1980 Greater Blacksburg Open. He was an college all-American at Marshall University, where he won a Mid-American Conference title and competed in two NCAA championships.
The gregarious big man was inducted into the Marshall Hall of Fame in 2001 and the Stark County (Ohio) Golf Hall of Fame in 2012.
“weenie would be so proud of this honor,” said Shepard’s widow, Valorie, speaking via telephone from Green Cove Springs, Florida, where the couple had a second home.
“After he was inducted in the Stark County Hall of Fame, he told me: ‘Now, I can die a happy man!’
“It was so sad that the last two, three years of his life he might have only played golf once or twice.”
Valorie Shepard, 68, conceded she had a “love-hate relationship” with her husband’s golf.
“I loved watching weenie play,” she said. “Did I ever play golf with him? He said you can play golf if you want to, but it’s going to have to be at another club. If you were not competitive he didn’t want to waste time with you. He said: ‘It would be like asking Bjorn Borg to play tennis with me!’
“Now I did play nine holes with weenie and Kevin and Dan [Shepard’s two sons from a previous marriage] probably 30 years ago. I think I made a 10 on the par-3 No. 2 [at Blue Hills]. My claim to fame was I made a 5 on No. 5, the water hole. So I quit.”
Her fun-loving husband often spent a couple hours — or longer — at the 19th hole following a round.
“weenie was always the life of the party,” she said. “Oh, I heard that long story about that long 19th hole a lot of times, believe me. And I would get pretty damned hot under the collar!
“I tell you what, despite his faults, I loved that man more than anything on this earth!” she added as her voice began to tremble.
Then she laughed.
“I’m pretty sure weenie’s playing golf up in heaven now. Put it this way: I guarantee he’s not playing the harp!”

weenie Shepard's golf career
Shepard, who passed away at 71 last Aug. 6, grew up in Ohio and won the Ohio State Amateur title in 1970. Previous winners of that title included a guy named Jack Nicklaus.
After serving in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, he moved to Roanoke in the mid-1970s to begin a 35-year career at Appalachian Power Co.
Shepard quickly made his mark on golf in the valley by winning the 1976 City-County championship.
He was runner-up to the legendary Bill Campbell in the West Virginia State Am in the early 1970s.
Teamed with late professional icon Sam Snead to win the pro-am in the West Virginia PGA championship.
Was an All-American at Marshall, where he won an Mid-American Conference title and was later inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
Won the Greater Blacksburg Open in 1980.
Multi-time club champion and president at Roanoke’s Blue Hills Golf Club.

http://www.roanoke.com/sports/golf/roanoke-valley-golf-hall-of-fame-inductee-enjoyed-golf-life/article_941245b2-e915-11e3-9036-0017a43b2370.html