Mark Timothy Shepherd

Rev. Mark Timothy Shepherd, 67, of Lexington, Kentucky, passed away surrounded by the love of his family and faith community. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, the youngest of four children of Rev. James and Rosalie DeYoung Shepherd, Mark moved with his family to Frankfort when he was two. He grew up attending Second Street School, Collins Lane Elementary, Elkhorn Junior High, and Franklin County High School, where he was deeply involved in church life and formed lifelong friendships. During high school, he discerned a call to ministry and followed his parents and siblings to Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, graduating with a degree in speech and communication. He went on to earn a master’s degree in theology from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology in Atlanta in 1981.

Mark began his pastoral ministry at Southgate United Methodist Church in northern Kentucky, where he served for nine years and volunteered as a chaplain and EMT with the local fire department, experiences he often recalled with fondness. In 1988, he met Sande Turner at the wedding of a mutual friend, and they married in 1990. Their children, Susanna and Zechariah, were born in 1991 and 1992. Subsequent appointments took the family to Covington Trinity, Columbia, Jeffersontown, and Erlanger United Methodist churches. In 2017, Mark was diagnosed with late-stage pancreatic cancer and, against all expectations, lived eight more years. Though his full-time ministry ended with the diagnosis, he continued to serve at Southern Hills United Methodist Church in Lexington, occasionally preaching and sharing his beloved “Sermon in a Sack” children’s messages. He retired on December 31, 2025, after 42 years of faithful service in the United Methodist Church.

Mark was known for his dry sense of humor, his ability to tell a good church story, and his deep devotion to God, his congregations, and his family. He found great joy in worship, mission work, and cooking, all of which were shaped by his early faith formation within a family committed to service. He participated in local, regional, and international mission trips throughout his life and remained active in Southern Hills’ Backpack Ministry in his final years. He was especially grateful for the exceptional care provided by his oncologist, Dr. Olugbenga Olowokure, whose faith, encouragement, and dedication meant a great deal to Mark and his family.

He is survived by his wife, Sande Turner Shepherd; daughter Susanna Shepherd Vance and son-in-law Garrett Vance of Georgetown, Kentucky; son Zech Shepherd of Alexandria, Virginia; and his siblings, Rev. Dr. Mary John Shepherd Dye of Statesville, North Carolina, Dr. Ruth Ann Shepherd of Midway, Kentucky, and Judge Phillip Shepherd and his wife Audrey of Frankfort, Kentucky. Mark lived by the conviction expressed in Romans 8:38-39 that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God.