Not a sportsman, not a wealthy entrepreneur, but an entertainer whose stage was life; an artist of living beings – brimming with love and sympathy.  His presence brought warmth and the glow of sunshine.  He made his influence felt.  Andy was genial, positive, confident and the eternal optimist.

 

As a handsome young officer of The Royal Engineer Corps of The British Army in Trinidad, Andy came to Barbados in 1942 on vacation.  He was affectionately nicknamed “Tyrone” because he bore a striking resemblance to the movie idol of the day, Tyrone Power.  On that occasion, he met 16 year old Betty St. Hill, who was rehearsing her tap-dance routine for a Sky High show.  Love at first sight it was, not only for Betty and Andy, but for the entire St. Hill family who welcomed him warmly as both son and brother.  It was the start of a life-long romance, for the following year they were married and their union of 48 years produced seven children and 17 grandchildren.

 

As a father and husband, he could not possibly have provided a more secure and safe home for his children to grow up in.  Never did we have to worry about Andy and Betty falling apart; the thought never crossed our minds.  This was the cornerstone of the foundation of the house that Andrew built.  A house of honesty.  We have never known a more honest man.  He respected the law and his integrity was unquestioned.  He was a Christian in the truest sense as he was kind and generous to a fault.  He always went over and above his call of duty to go the extra mile, often to the detriment of his health.

 

In 1984 he was appointed the Honorary Consul for Peru – a post which he considered a great honour and accepted with much pride.

 

Growing up as the tenth child in a family of twelve taught Andy many lessons about the value of family life.  He held the greatest love and respect for “Mama”, his mother who was widowed when he was only eight, yet held her large family of six boys and six girls together with amazing fortitude.  He adopted his mother’s philosophy which were words of wisdom from the Bible . . . “and it came to pass”.  This meant “bear with it – things will get better”.

 

Andy was a charmer – a gentleman in every sense of the word, and always the life of the party with his unforgettable repertoire of jokes.  In his younger days and even at his 60th birthday party, Andy liked to perform his famous party trick.  This was a handstand done on a chair which was balanced precariously on four Coca-Cola bottles.  He went through life like that – always balancing and amazingly making it – despite the odds.

 

Andy was a man of great emotion - very passionate.  He felt things to the bottom of his soul.  He passed that on to his children.  He loved music and took pride in fostering his children’s and grandchildren’s abilities, talents and ambitions.  His constant source of joy was to listen to his Bets play the piano.  We will always think of him as “The Leader of the Band.”

 

Andrew Sheppard was so brave, so positive – we never truly understood how serious was his condition and how deep his pain.  He put on his best face and smiled as he left us – unsure of the future yet true to character, hoping for the best.  He felt secure in the knowledge that he had a strong and united family.  A family he loved so deeply and a family who loved him so very, very much.  His passion for life will live on and he will be deeply missed by everyone upon whose life he touched.