JOHN SGEPLEY in photo taken at the Port Royal Lutheran Church in 1992.
Contributed by rkohler3 on 8/4/11 - Image Year: 1992
OBITUARY for JOHN HARVEY SHEPLEY
PORT ROYAL - John Harvey Shepley, 87, a resident of Port Royal from 1983 until March 2009, died at 10:42 p.m. on Friday, July 10, 2009, at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center.
He was born in Riegelsville, the son of the Rev. James R. and Grace (Rupp) Shepley. His first wife Sevilla (Hefrich) Shepley preceded him in death in 1983.
He is survived by his second wife Helen Holly (Nice) Hough Shepley who lives in Telford.
Also surviving: children, Martha Walter and husband Charles of Leawood, Kan.; John Richard Shepley and wife Elaine of Pasadena, Md.; sister, Catherine Zimmerman of Rockville, Md.; and two grandchildren, Brian James Shepley of Middle River, Md.; and Michael Alan Shepley of Baltimore, Md.; stepchildren, Gregory Hough, Eric Hough, Courtney Hough, Hal Hough and Holly Jacoby.
He was also preceded in death by a sister, Jane Stimmel.
When he was two years old, his family moved to Sellersville and John graduated from Sell-Perk High School in 1939.
After two years at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, John enlisted in the U.S. Navy on Nov. 12, 1942. He was a Navy veteran of World War II.
In the Navy, he completed a very accelerated pilot training program and emerged as a dive bomber pilot. John loved flying and enjoyed sharing great stories about the fun he had doing the training missions and the excitement of taking off and landing on the aircraft carrier John Hancock.
After completing active duty, John married Sevilla Helfrich on Nov. 17, 1945. They built a home and lived in Sellersville.
John worked for a brief time at the U.S. Gauge Company, now Ametek U.S. Gauge, then moved into the banking business, which was to be his career until retirement in 1983.
He retired from Union National Bank and Trust Company, now Univest Corporation of Pa., in Telford, where he held the position of Assistant Vice President and Telford Branch Manager.
During his working years, John actively pursued a broad range of activities and interests: hunting and fishing, often in Juniata County where his sister Jane Stimmel lived, archery, growing fruits and vegetable, grapes and flowers, and woodworking. He crafted items ranging from furniture and accessories for the home to two fiberglass 14 foot motorboats.
He was talented musically. He had a beautiful bass voice and regularly sang in the church choir. During this same period of time, he also played upright bass in local dance bands, playing for high school proms as well.
He was a member of the Sellersville American Legion Post No. 255.
John loved the outdoors. When he retired in 1983, he and Sevilla moved to Port Royal. There was able to fully exploit his passion for growing things: large vegetable garden, grapes, orchard, trees and flowers, as well as his love of hunting and fishing.
He continued woodworking, contributing many items to the Port Royal Lutheran Church.
On Dec. 15, 1995, John and Helen Hough were united in marriage. They enjoyed church participation and their many friends and neighbors in Port Royal.
The funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2009 at the Port Royal Lutheran Church with the Rev. Charles L. Hershberger officiating.
A viewing will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Rex Funeral Home in Port Royal.
Interment will be at 11 a.m. on Friday at the Sellersville Church Cemetery.
The American Legion of Sellersville will conduct military graveside services.
Memorial donations may be made to American Heart Association, 501 Howard Ave., Altoona, PA 16601.
