Last Saturday, Christopher Shepherd, 36, was vacationing with family member in Cancun when a strong current swept him away from shore. Despite the efforts of his family and first responders, Shepherd died en route to a local hospital.
Tuesday, family and friends sat down with our reporter to share their memories and thoughts of Shepherd who they lovingly call “Shep.”
“Shep was a person that if you came in contact with him, you automatically liked him,” said friend Arkese White.
“He was a stranger to no strangers,” said friend Antwon Overstreet.
“He loved his family, but he also loved his friends,” said Shep’s Nephew Deon McConic. “Everyone knew him -and you can ask anyone -they’ll tell you that he’s a really good person.”
The 36-year-old father of two worked at a club/event center in Lubbock and they say he was known for bringing people together.
“In the service industry, he came into contact with so many people,” White said. “It’s not a limited community that’s hurting. He effected an entire city and that is the honest truth.”
Shep also taught little league football for two seasons.
“Shep coached YFL football,” White said. “He coached for two years. They won the Superbowl.”
His nephew and friends said that Shep’s presence will be dearly missed in the community.
“He would want his community to develop and stay strong,” Overstreet said. “The last talk we had was to bring the community together.”
“We told each other we loved each other all the time,” friend Samuel Anderson said. “That’s how we started saying bye. I’m blessed and I’m grateful for the time we were given.”
Shepherd’s funeral is set for Saturday afternoon at Southcrest Baptist Church.
Fundraisers for his family will be held Thursday at Capital Pizza and Sunday at the SOHO Nightclub.
For more on this story, watch the associated video.
