Shepherd Youth Killed Accidentally By Father Accident Occurred As Father and Son Were Out Hunting Blaine Shepherd, a youth of the Crumpler-Grassy Creek section of the county, was shot and accidentally killed by his father Wednesday morning of last week. The accident took place near the mouth of Helton Creek about 8:30 in the morning. The youth and his father, Grover C. Shepherd, who is a well known citizen of that community, had gone out squirrel hunting early in the morning, and were going through a densely wooded section of a nearby forest. Father and son seperated and Mr. Shepherd thought that his son had gone in an opposite direction. Mr. Shepherd saw leaves shaking several feet from the ground and then saw a gray object nearer the ground, which he thought was a squirrel. He fired his gun and heard the youth scream. He ran to him and asked him where he was shot. The dying lad told him: "I'm shot all over." He died in about five minutes. Forty-eight shot hit him over the body, the main charge striking just above the heart. The little fellow had climbed up an old tree lap about four feet above the ground, causing the leaves in the trees above to shake. Robert Blaine Shepherd was born Dec. 28, 1915, and was 13 years, 5 months and 1 day old. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Grover C. Shepherd, both of who survive him. He is also survived by two sisters, Edith and Ralph Shepherd, and four brothers, Ralph, Mont, and Walter Shepherd, of this county, and Willborn Shepherd, of Detroit, Mich. An impressive funeral service was conducted from Fairview schoolhouse where the Shepherd boy attended school. It was conducted by Revs. J.O. Spencer, S.C. Blackburn, J.C. Childress, Franklin Barker and William Blackburn. A large concourse of people attended the service. Beautiful floral offerings were carried by Blaine's schoolmates. The youth was popular with his young acquaintances and all were grief-stricken over the tragic occurence. Following the service, the body was laid to rest in the Shepherd cemetery near the schoolhouse. The pallbearers were R.M. Phipps, J.E. Sexton, Keys Garris, Nola West, A.J. Blevins and T.C. Hurley. From a newspaper article clipping.

This web site is dedicated to the memory of Robert Blaine Shepherd, the third child of Grover and Ethel Walker Shepherd. At the age of 13, Blaine died as the result of a gunshot wound suffered in a hunting accident. Grover Shepherd mourned Blaine's death the rest of his life. Blaine was buried 1st in the John Calvin Shepherd Cemetery and later moved to the New River Baptist Church Cemetery where he now rests beside his parents. The first photo of Blaine was taken when he was about three years old. Blaine was about nine years old when the second photo was taken around 1924. The third photo was taken about 1927 and shows Blaine's older brother, James Wilburn Shepherd (at age 16), on the left, and Blaine is believed to be the boy on the right at about age 12.