Tributes

Ouida Inez Shepherd Patterson’s journey on this earth ended on Sunday, December 2, 2018. She was born in Leon County, Texas, on June 28, 1926, the second of three sisters born to Bert and Madaline Shepherd. She was the valedictorian of the Flynn High School class of 1944: a class of 13 students. Thanks to the determination of her mother, all three sisters received college degrees from Sam Houston State University (then “Sam Houston State Teachers College”). After graduation in 1947, Inez moved to Houston for her first job, where she eventually met her husband, Robert Charles (“Bob”) Patterson, just as he was beginning his forty year career with Humble Pipeline, now Exxon. Inez and Bob married in 1950 in Houston, Texas. Describing themselves “oil nomads,” the first stops on their journey were in Odessa and Midland, Texas, where their children, Robert Shepherd (“Bobby,” 1953, wife Gayley), Richard Charles (“Rick,” 1955, wife Susan) and Tana Ruth (1958, husband Reggie Perez), were born. Their journey continued and included stops in Baton Rouge and Lafayette, Louisiana, Barcelona, Spain, Houston, Texas, San Francisco, California, Anchorage, Alaska and, lastly, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. While in Saudi Arabia, the woman from Leon County Texas would board a plane by herself to travel halfway around the world, stopping on the “continent” to begin to adjust to the time change, in order to see friends and family in the States. After her children were school age, Inez returned to teaching. Inez taught first graders and turned down opportunities to teach upper grades where the students had already become accustomed to the school’s routines. She loved taking children new to the school regimen and molding them into eager learners. A member of the “greatest generation,” she set a wonderful example for her children when juggling motherhood and her commitment to her students, often working late into the night to perfect her lesson plan for the following day. Bob and Inez returned from Saudi Arabia in 1983 and retired to Fair Oaks in Boerne, Texas, where they enjoyed a life of friends, golf, travel, bridge and church. After Bob died in 1990, Inez remained active and involved in her church and community, played golf (with several holes in one) and traveled the world with her friends. Above all, she was known for her kind and giving spirit. She loved, and was loved, unconditionally, and never spoke badly of anyone. She took great joy and pride in her grandchildren, Robert Shepherd Patterson, Jr., Mary Alden Patterson, and Abbey Perez. Even as Alzheimer’s robbed her of her memory and limited her mobility, she never failed to brighten up when her children and grandchildren came to visit. At age 92, she left this world to continue her journey with Bob, her open and generous spirit no longer constrained by the ravages of that cruel disease. Having witnessed the effects of Alzheimer’s disease, the children of Bob and Inez Patterson encourage everyone to support the Alzheimer’s Association. Inez Shepherd Patterson’s sweet smile will always accompany those who knew her as a reminder that her kind and always positive spirit will guide and protect them. After a private graveside service, the family plans a Shepherd Family Reunion where the offspring of Bert and Madeline Shepherd can gather again in Leon County to celebrate the heritage and lives that molded subsequent generations.

Tributes

Ouida Inez Shepherd Patterson

June 28, 1926 - December 2, 2018