Denise Janine Shepherd

Denise Janine Shepherd, 65, of Steubenville, Ohio, passed away unexpectedly at home on March 7, 2026. Born on August 7, 1960, in Steubenville to the late John Henrey and Elise Marie (Merrit) Robinson, she was the youngest of 21 children. She was preceded in death by her brothers John, Dennis “Butch,” Sanford, Dale, Hue, Bill, Ronie, Johnny, Eugene, Clifford, Cleve, Raymond, Melvin, and Fred Robinson, as well as her sisters Wanda Pain, Sheila Mason, Myrna Morelli, Virginia Crawford, and Brenda Faye Jenkins.

A 1979 graduate of Big Red High School, Denise spent most of her life as a homemaker. She was the one who held the family together and was a loving great-grandmother to her daughters-in-law’s children. Known for her simple tastes and easygoing nature, she enjoyed Pepsi, music, and watching Little House on the Prairie. She found joy in life’s quiet pleasures and never asked for much.

She is survived by her three children, Billie (Loren) Robinson of Steubenville, Kenneth Shepherd of Bergholz, and Harry (fiancée Mariah) Shepherd; four grandchildren, C.J., Gemini, Kaycee, and Sarah; and two siblings, Hilda Beaty of Mingo Junction and Fulton Reid Craig of North Carolina.