Mary Sheppard served 23 years on planning commission, devoted her life to a greener Earth
Think globally, act locally might have been Mary Emma Sheppard’s philosophy of life.
Ms. Sheppard, who died Oct. 24, 2020, at age 89, embraced environmental stewardship and careful community planning in Manatee County. With her sense of adventure and questing intellect, she also explored much of the world.
The Bradenton native served 23 years on the Manatee County Planning Commission, an unpaid, appointed position. The planning commission reviews applications submitted to county government by developers to ensure completeness, soundness and compliance with law, and makes recommendations to the county commission.
Richard Bedford, former chairman of the planning commission, served with Sheppard for the majority of her time on the board.
“She was a wonderful, thoughtful woman who understood land use and good planning,” Bedford said this week. “She listened to each side, to staff, and the applicant, and made thoughtful and appropriate comments. She was dependable and always there. Looking back on it, she was a Sierra Club member, and was very environmentally aware. That perspective was one of the most valuable things she brought to the table.”
Born in Bradenton on Dec. 2, 1930, Ms. Sheppard graduated from Manatee High School in 1948, and from Florida State University in 1952 with a bachelor of science. She moved to California where she became a schoolteacher in Salinas, and met William Luther Sheppard. They were married Aug. 12, 1956. The couple had three children before divorcing in 1976.
Lynn Sheppard-Carter said her mother’s environmentalism started when she joined the Sierra Club in California. She became an avid hiker, camper, and all-around outdoors woman, amateur biologist, and environmentalist.
In 1983, Ms. Sheppard returned to Bradenton, to help care for her father. She became involved in local and state activities of the Sierra Club, and environmental protection policies statewide and in Manatee County.
One of the battles she joined in Manatee County In the 1990s was against Florida Power and Light’s plans to burn Orimulsion at its Parrish plant to generate power.
Orimulsion, a combination of bitumen and water, generated opposition because of its perceived threat to health.
In 1998, Gov. Lawton Chiles and the Florida Cabinet voted 6-1 against FPL using the fuel in Manatee County, ending a four-year fight over use of the fuel.
Gerry Swormstedt moved to Manatee County in 1988 and joined the Sierra Club a year later where she met Ms. Sheppard. The two became best friends and allies in the battle against Orimulsion.
“We went up before the IMF (International Monetary Fund) in New York when we were fighting Orimulsion,” Swormstedt said.
“She usually had a smile on her face. She was very intelligent and understood a lot of the government stuff that I couldn’t get through,” Swormstedt said. “She stuck with it when she took on a difficult issue.”
The two friends also explored much of the world together, including the Pacific Trail in California, Alaska, Peru, Ecuador, Italy, France and Australia.
“She was a lovely human being,” Swormstedt said.
Among Ms. Sheppard’ awards for environmental protection are the “Pine Tree” award (1986); the “Administration” award (1994); and the “Florida Chapter Medal” (1999).
Ms. Sheppard is survived by her sister, Ruth Eleanor Yates, her daughter, Evelyn (Lynn) R. Sheppard-Carter; her son, Gregory James; her granddaughters, Stacey (Sam) and Nicole; and her great-granddaughter, Aunora Williams; as well as close cousins and other relatives. She was predeceased by her youngest son, David Lee Sheppard.
Due to the COVID-19, pandemic, the family does not have plans for a memorial at present.
For more on the life of Mary Sheppard, visit https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/bradenton/obituary.aspx?n=mary-emma-sheppard&pid=197058527&fhid=32016.
Arrangements were by Your Traditions Cremation and Funeral Chapel.
This story was originally published November 11, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
