Stephen is survived by his devoted wife of 53 years, Diane; his sons, Trevor and Chad (Luo Luo); his grandchildren, Kaitlyn and Jackson who were the light of his life; his sisters, Linda and Karen; and many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, George & Olive, and his twin sister Susan.

Born on February 22nd, 1949, in Calgary, alongside his twin sister, Stephen grew up in Calgary with his mother and father Olive and George Sheppard and two more sisters, Linda and Karen. In 1955, Stephen’s mother, who was born in England, decided she would take her first three children back to England for 6 months, which gave Stephen the experience of travelling by ship and train, and living in a small village getting to know his overseas family.

In adulthood, Stephen dedicated his life to serving and protecting his community as a proud member of the Calgary Police Service. Known for his unwavering sense of duty, compassion, and sense of humor, Stephen embodied the true spirit of public service.

Stephen’s career began in 1969 and spanned an impressive 30 years. He served the citizens of Calgary with honor in many different capacities, ranks and roles  including K-9, traffic, internal affairs, arrest processing and district sergeant in two city districts. Stephen ended his career at the Calgary airport as district Sargeant, retiring in May 2000. Stephen also worked as head of security at the G7 summit in Kananaskis in 2002.

Throughout his distinguished career, Stephen earned the respect of his colleagues and the gratitude of countless individuals whose lives he touched.

When Stephen was not working, he had a deep interest in classic cars and motorcycles. He owned both a 1967 Beaumont and 1965 Corvette Roadster and kept them in pristine condition, along with his Harley-Davidson motorcycle. Alongside this, he honed his skills in cabinet making and became a jack of all trades around the house. There was barely a task that Stephen could not handle. One of his most rewarding projects was building a rustic cabin by Pine Lake, where he, his wife Diane, and his two sons spent their summers and long weekends. At Pine Lake, Stephen taught his two sons to ride motorcycles. Stephen was also a music lover and a fan of The Rolling Stones, The Bee Gees, and The Beach Boys, whose timeless hits never fail to bring back fond memories.

A Celebration of Stephen’s life will be held at THE CUFF N’ BILLY, 2nd floor, 3730 Westwinds Drive NE, Calgary, AB, on Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 1:00 P.M.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in his memory to the Jack Ady Cancer Centre, c/o Chinook Regional Hospital Foundation (crhfoundation.ca) in Lethbridge, Alberta.