Mother Minnie Leah Sheppard

Minnie Leah Finlayson was born on January 14, 1938 to Joseph Arnold Finlayson, Jr. and Minnie Leah Fennell Finlayson, who were also the parents of Joseph Arnold Finlayson III and Thomas Conwell Finlayson, Sr. She grew up in Harlem, New York, and as a young child she enjoyed reading, learning mathematics, and helping her mom with cooking. She also enjoyed spending time with her family, especially the elders in her family that lived close to her, and many of her cousins from the same generation that also lived close.

She graduated from George Washington High School, New York City, NY in December of 1955, and went on to spend some time attending college until the tragic passing of her mother, which was caused by complications of diabetes, during the year of 1958. After her mom’s passing, she joined the work force and became a career woman, working for a variety of different companies until she was hired by United Airlines in the 1960s. Working for United Airlines is where she developed her love for traveling, and would use her low cost employee standby tickets to travel around the country in her free time, visiting family who lived in different states and going site seeing to different attractions across the country such as the Grand Canyon and other places.

While working in the New York reservations office at United Airlines, she would also meet her husband, Nathaniel Charles Sheppard, Sr., and they got married on May 22, 1971 and move to the suburbs of Newark, New Jersey. Their first child, Nathaniel Charles Sheppard, Jr., (Nate) was born on September 26, 1976. Minnie took a hiatus from the airline after giving birth to her first child to be a stay at home mom during her early years of motherhood. Early in 1978, the family would relocate to Denver, Colorado when her husband made a transfer to a different position with United Airlines; as he had previously been promoted from Reservations to Air Cargo. Shortly afterwards, their second son, Stephen Finlayson Sheppard (Steve), was born on November 20, 1978.

As the 80s approached and her children were reaching school age, she returned to the workforce, with some local travel agencies, and eventually returning back to United Airlines in 1982 at the Denver reservations office. She retired from United Airlines in 1994, and worked several part-time customer focused positions, while pursuing a career in real estate the next two decades.

While her children were growing up in the Denver Metro area, she enjoyed helping Nate and Steve with schoolwork, teaching them how to cook, and studying the Bible with them. Most of all, she shared her love for travel with her family.

Throughout the years, they travelled across the country to visit their family back on the east coast, going to several different family reunions in Tampa, FL, Virginia Beach, VA, Omaha, NE, and Kansas City, MO. She also enjoyed taking family vacations to Disney World Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center in Florida, Disneyland Magic Kingdom in California, Universal Studios in California, sight-seeing at her old home of New York City to visit the Empire State Building, the original World Trade Center twin towers, and the Statue of Liberty, and even going on cruises to The Bahamas. She also liked taking local day trips in Colorado to places in the mountains such as Estes Park, Buffalo Bill’s Grave, and the Mother Cabrini Shrine, as well as going to local amusement parks like Elitch Gardens, Lakeside, and Heritage Square.

Minnie’s memory will be survived her children Nathaniel (Nate) Sheppard, Jr. and Stephen (Steve) Sheppard, her 9 grandchildren Nathaniel III, Jaden, Rashad, Natalia, Sariyah, Josiah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Xavier and her 5 great grandchildren. She will also be remembered by a host of nieces and nephews, including but not limited to Virda Sheppard Perry, Gwendolyn Sheppard, Arie CeeCee Sheppard Thorton, Gayle Sheppard Stewart, Sheila Finlayson, Thomas Finlayson, Jr, Julia Charzetta Finlayson Nevels, Arnett Finlayson, Betty Finlayson, Brenda Johnson, and the many children and grandchildren of her nieces and nephews listed above who are too many to name but are celebrated as her family.

Her sunset was on August, 16, 2026, leaving behind a life where she accomplished many things as a professional career woman in different industries, traveled to many places around the country and around the world, spent time with many family members who will greatly miss her, and lived through monumental events in American history such as the Great Depression, the Civil Rights Movement, September 11, 2001, and the COVID-19 pandemic. She will always be remembered by those who loved her.