Ida E. Shepard, 87

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Ida Edith Shepard, 87, of North Adams and Pompano Beach, Fla., died peacefully in her sleep at home on Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, one day short of her 88th birthday and with her loving family nearby.

Born in Ripi, Italy, on Nov. 8, 1926, the daughter of Giovanni and Maria DeVellis Picarazzi and, after her mother's death, raised by her stepmother, Rose Sementelli Picarazzi, her family moved to Bridgeport, Conn. in 1934. She resided in Bridgeport and then, after having married, in Lordship in Stratford, Conn., for 58 years until she moved to North Adams.

Mrs. Shepard had been employed at various businesses in the Bridgeport area, such as Kresge's and Warnaco, as well as at the former Women's Exchange in Williamstown.

For 33 years, she spent her winters at the Cypress Club Condominiums in Pompano Beach and was an active and celebrated member of that community.

Primarily a homemaker, she was a fiercely loving and dedicated mother and grandmother. She loved socializing and never encountered a gathering she didn't enjoy, and she brought festivity wherever she went. She was always ready to hunt for a bargain, never afraid to speak her mind, and always ready to lend an ear to a friend or relative. She kept her family always in her heart, and they will always keep her in theirs.

She leaves her cherished husband, Albert Shepard; two sons, John Shepard of North Adams and James Shepard of Williamstown; her brothers, Mario and Guido Picarazzi, both of Connecticut; her sisters, Sylvia Chandler and her husband, Peter, of Virginia and Virginia Picarazzi of Connecticut; her sisters-in-law, Rose and Jean Picarazzi; her grandchildren, Aidan, Emmett and Lucy, and many cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

FUNERAL NOTICE — Mrs. Shepard's memorial service will take place at Our Lady of Peace Church in Lordship on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 11 a.m., and she will be interred in Williamstown. In lieu of condolence gifts, donations may be made in two areas dear to her heart: readersupportednews.org or the Alzheimer's Foundation of America. Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals is in charge of arrangements.