Dudley Shepard died peacefully in his sleep at 93 years old on January 14, 2025. He was surrounded by his close family and friends during his final days.
Dudley was born on January 2, 1932, in Exeter, New Hampshire, to Henry B. Shepard Sr. and Frances Dudley Shepard, and he grew up in West Newton. He attended Yale University, graduating in 1954. After two years in the Navy he studied at MIT, receiving his doctorate in mechanical engineering in 1962. In 1965, Dudley and his wife, Mary-Macy, settled in Lincoln, where they raised their young family. Over his career he worked at the Draper Laboratory in Cambridge and was a professor in the mechanical engineering department at the University of Lowell.
Dudley had many passions in his life, beginning with his professional work, where he was involved from the very beginning in NASA’s Apollo space program. Working in uncharted territory, he and his colleagues contemplated, brainstormed, and helped design solutions to provide astronauts safe passage to the moon and back. Dudley always mentioned how grateful he was to have been in the “right place at the right time” to be a part of this trailblazing project.
In his personal life, Dudley was known for his lifelong love of sailing. From his childhood days spent with his Uncle Fritz in Marblehead, where he learned to sail and developed a formidable talent for competition in regattas, to the annual cruises he took down the coast of Maine and beyond even into his late 80s, the ocean was central to who he was.
Additionally, there was his love of music. This took many forms over his life, including singing in church choirs and choral societies. A particularly memorable experience was when Dudley and his wife, Becky, traveled with the Manchester Choral Society and were invited to sing in several cathedrals across Europe, including Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and England. Of special significance was his clarinet, an instrument he took up in his 60s. Dudley loved playing with the band at the town bandstand and in quartet recitals with fellow music students. In his final years, even as he struggled with the limitations of his age, his clarinet playing remained intact, allowing him to experience the joy and happiness that music brought to his life right up to his final days.
Dudley was preceded in death by his first wife Mary-Macy Shepard; his sister Perry Shepard, his brother Henry B Shepard Jr., and his sister Anne S. Bullis. He is survived by his wife Becky Shepard; his son Allen Shepard and wife Helena; his son Daniel Shepard and wife Linda; his daughter Nanette Fleming and husband Scott; his grandson Connor Fleming; his granddaughter Leah Fleming and her husband Viraj Jorapur; his stepchildren Andrew Hayden and Emily Baya and her husband Matthew and their children Owen and Marshall.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday March 8, at the Congregational Church, 21 Front Street, Exeter, New Hampshire, with a reception to follow in the church vestry.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire or by mail at 247 N River Road, Epping, NH 03042. Visit remickgendron.com to sign Dudley’s tribute wall.
