Tom Shepley, 61, of Burnsville, MN, passed away peacefully at home on August 10, 2023. Tom will be deeply missed by his wife of 29 years, Debra; his sons, Brett (Emma), Tucker (Taylor), Jake and Marcus; sister Sandra Shepley, and brother Dr. Robert (Liz) Shepley.
He was preceded in death by his parents Warren and Patricia Shepley, and sister Judith Ann Shepley Lykins.
His influence as a husband, father, brother and friend will be cherished.
Thomas Stuart Shepley was born on August 28, 1961, to Warren and Patricia (Strait) Shepley in Glencoe, MN. He was the youngest of four children and a delight to his family. Tom was an active and adventurous boy – no stranger to broken bones, or skinned knees! His childhood days in Glencoe and later, Redwood Falls were filled with T-Ball games, Punt, Pass & Kick competitions, bike riding to the city parks, paper routes, and so many other typical small-town activities.
Family vacations included numerous road trips camping in State and National Parks around the country. Two epic vacations involved a 1965 camping trip to the west coast including Disneyland and the Grand Canyon, and a 1967 trip to the east coast including the World’s Fair in Montreal. The Shepley family made frequent visits to see their grandparents at family cabins on Spring Lake and Lake Superior.
Tom graduated from Redwood Falls High School in 1980, after lettering in multiple sports and receiving academic awards. He continued his education at Concordia College Moorhead. His Cobber years were filled with friends and football; he was a member of the 1981 NAIA Championship Team. In addition to his football achievements, Tom was blessed to form lifelong friendships with many of his teammates.
After college graduation, Tom began an exciting 16-year career at Northwest/Republic Airlines. He took full advantage of his travel benefits, with countless trips to Europe, Asia, and throughout the U.S.
In 1993, Tom was introduced to his future wife, Deb Sylvara by his cousin Lynn Strait Bacon, who taught with Deb in Kansas City. Tom and Deb were married on August 6, 1994, in Kansas City, MO.
By far, Tom’s greatest joys were his four sons; in his parental role, he absolutely shined. His world revolved around them. Tom dreamed their dreams and was their faithful friend. Tom shared his favorite boyhood activities with his boys – canoeing for hours on Spring Lake, fishing & catching frogs. Many summer days were spent at the Family cabin in Herbster, WI. Perfect days concluded with fresh trout for dinner, Grandma’s famous Blueberry cake (prepared with hand-picked berries), memorable sunsets over Lake Superior, and spectacular beach bonfires.
Tom’s love of family tradition was never more apparent than in his success mastering recipes for Grandma Strait’s homemade mustard or Grandma Shepley’s steamed cranberry pudding.
Tom and Deb were avid supporters of Burnsville High School Athletics, with their boys participating in multiple sports. Beyond being cheering parents, they were tireless Blaze Boosters. In 2018, they were recipients of the John Coskcran Volunteer Award, recognizing their contribution to Burnsville Athletics.
Tom’s second career has been in the water treatment industry, working the past 15 years in Commercial and industrial Sales for Driessen Water, a Culligan franchise in Northfield, MN.
Tom was a generous and charitable person; he found great joy in blessing others, most often anonymously. A Memorial Fund has been established to carry on his benevolent mission.
In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to be part of Tom’s legacy:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/thomas-shepley
A private family celebration of Tom’s life will be held later this fall.
