THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2026 85 In his next career, as an author, he published 14 books, including a diplomatic mystery series, autobiographical tales, and his highly regarded Shepard’s Guide to Mastering French Wine. He was an indemand public speaker worldwide. He also served as wine editor for French Wine Explorers. His knowledge of wine, particularly Bordeaux, resulted in a first-class wine cellar and membership in several international wine societies. Mr. Shepard was recognized as a distinguished alumnus of Tilton School at his 60th reunion, receiving the George L. Plimpton Award for a lifetime of service and leadership. He was named an Honorary Hungarian Freedom Fighter by the Hungarian Society of America, the only non-Hungarian to be so named. He was a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, Governor Bradford Compact Society, Society Descendant Colonial Governors, Society Descendant Colonial Wars, Montesquieu Academy France, City Tavern Club, Flagon and Trencher, and Tred Avon Players. Remembered as a man of integrity, intellect, and humor, Mr. Shepard was also a devoted family man. Married in June 1960, he and his wife, Lois, enjoyed a lifelong partnership of travel, politics, adventures, and rooting for the Red Sox. Together, they raised three children. Family members and friends recall how he carried himself with grace and style amid life’s challenges, and his saying: “We often lived abroad but were always at home.” Mr. Shepard was preceded in death by his brother, Walter Roskos Shepard, and sister-in-law, Barbara Shepard, and by his son, Warren Burke Shepard (1966-1980). He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Lois; their daughters, Stephanie Shepard Lipson and Cynthia Robin Shepard; four grandchildren, Victoria Ashley Dickson (Christian), Christina Morgan Lipson, Emma Grace Lipson, and Erik Lipson Jr.; a great-grandson, Zander Christian Dickson; his brother, Dr. James Shepard (Sally); seven nieces and nephew, and their children; and a extended family in many parts of the country. The family thanks the entire team at Talbot Hospice for their extraordinary personal and professional care over Mr. Shepard’s last several months. n John “Jock” W. Shirley, 94, a retired Foreign Service officer and former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania, died peacefully on October 7, 2025. Mr. Shirley was born in 1931 in Hailsham, England, to an American father and English mother. From the age of 6, he was sent to boarding schools in France, Croatia, and Hungary. He and his father spent the war years in Hungary, trapped after the Hungarian declaration of war against the U.S. in 1942. Despite being “enemy aliens,” they were treated with consideration. With the German occupation of Hungary in 1944, they went into hiding, surviving the siege of Budapest and the early months of Soviet occupation. These experiences gave him a lifelong antipathy to extremism of the left and the right. Relocating to the U.S. after the war, Mr. Shirley graduated from the Augusta Military Academy and Georgetown University School of Foreign Service. Following service in the U.S. Air Force (1952-1956), stationed in Germany, he joined the Foreign Service in 1957 with the U.S. Information Agency (USIA). Mr. Shirley was assistant cultural officer in Zagreb (1958-1959) and in Belgrade (1959-1960). He then served as public affairs officer in Trieste (19601963), press attaché in Rome (19631965), and press attaché in New Delhi (1965-1968). He returned to Washington, D.C., where he was policy officer in USIA’s Near Eastern and South Asian affairs division (1968-1969). After Polish language training at the Foreign Service Institute, he was posted to Warsaw (1970-1972). Back at USIA, he was deputy director and then director for East European and Soviet affairs and director for European affairs (1972-1977). Following a stint in Rome (1977-1980), Mr. Shirley returned to Washington to serve as USIA’s associate director for programs (1980-1981), acting director (1981), counselor (1981-1983), and deputy director ad interim (1983). He spoke six foreign languages at a professional level. In 1984 he was named U.S. ambassador to Tanzania, until his retirement in 1986. Ambassador Shirley and his wife, Kathy, also a former ambassador, settled in Stonington, Conn., where he pursued his lifelong passions for riding, sailing, and rowing. In retirement, Amb. Shirley founded and then shepherded a scholarship program, still flourishing 34 years later, at Sarospatak, the school he attended in Hungary. In 2016 he moved to the Waverly Heights retirement community in Gladwyne, Pa. Amb. Shirley is survived by his wife of 57 years, Katherine; his daughters, Pamela and Jeanie; seven grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren. n To submit an obituary for In Memory, please send the complete text (up to 500 words) to InMemory@afsa.org. Be sure to include the date, place, and cause of death, and details of the individual's Foreign Service career. Submissions must come from, or be confirmed by, a next of kin or other family member.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy ODIyMDU=