Kate Shepherd Memorial Fund
As the nation reels in shock from the senseless loss of lives in Plymouth, our village community hidden in Cornwall’s forgotten corner shares a pain that is difficult to describe. Kate was a unique person. She was hilarious with a laugh and way of telling stories that was so infectious that before she even finished you’d be in stitches.
A loving, highly talented, intelligent, gifted and humble artist, who bubbled with laughter and quirks that were sewn into the fabric of her bright and colourful cardigans and the very brush strokes of her beautiful paintings. She will live in so many memories as the happy, smiling Kate who wouldn't hurt a fly, and her favourite music Carol King, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin & Elton John will bring a smile to those who knew her, to remember her dancing, her paintings and her happy spirit. The perfect partner to John.
What made this duo so impressive is the way they dealt with loss before, of their 16 year old son Guy, something that few would recover from. Both sons have recovered in the face of adversity, they have met strong and unique women and have both by some miracle, had children within weeks of each other. The day after Kate’s passing was the day the family was due to meet as a whole with the two grandchildren. Fortunately she had met the babies prior to the shooting.
This GoFundMe is a chance for the community and those affected to help with ongoing bereavement costs and care costs for Grandma Shepherd who Kate was caring for fulltime at home previously. If you can’t afford to participate, then please take a moment to reflect on how the people that mean the most to us aren’t the ones with the most followers, or those that we see most often. They’re the ones that show true kindness, that forgive us for the mistakes we make as we navigate adulthood and that make us laugh so hard the world stops and there’s nowhere else you’d want to be than listening to them tell you stories about how everything will be ok.
Kate, we will all miss you more than words can describe.
EDIT: Gofundme have asked that more detail is added regarding my relationship to the recipients and the plans behind setting this up. Myself (Marigold) and my brother have been discussing with all Kate's close family about putting this together for the past several days. They have proof read and made suggestions to the above writing until it was something they were happy and comfortable with. My brother and I have known the Shepherd family our whole lives and wanted to support them at this time. We have all been speaking the past few days, including today to finalise this.
All the proceeds will of course be going to them for the reasons as stated above.
