NORTH WILDWOOD — Brian Shepherd was a young man who was well liked in this community. He enjoyed fishing and taking his 13-foot boat from his home in West Wildwood to Champagne Island to hang out with his friends.
Locals might remember the Wildwood High School sophomore by the throwback sports jerseys he was often seen wearing or from his summer job at the Dairy Queen at Spicer Avenue on the Boardwalk.
Shepherd’s friends and family, however, have been without him since the 15-year-old tragically died in June 2004 after fist fighting with another teen near the Boardwalk on 19th Avenue in North Wildwood.
“I got a call from the cops to pick Brian up after the fight,” said Brian’s father Dennis Shepherd. “He was a little rough looking from the fight and he had been drinking with his friends, but he seemed OK to me and he didn’t want to go to the hospital. He told me he just wanted to go home.”
The Shepherd men went home that night with Dennis giving Brian a hard time for fighting and drinking. Dennis told his father he was sorry and went to sleep.
Brian never woke up. He died in his sleep from a blood clot caused from blunt force trauma to the back of his head.
Shepherd learned later that Brian had been at a friend’s house drinking when a fight broke out between Brian and another boy. They took it outside and after a while, Brian was knocked to the ground cracking his head on the pavement.
Dennis was also unaware that Brian had been knocked unconscious for a time from the blow.
“He seemed alright to me. He was walking and talking just fine. I didn’t know, there was no sign that he was hurt that bad,” Shepherd said still obviously shaken over the loss of his son.
Shepherd said Brian’s siblings were crushed by the loss including: Amy, 35; Dennis, 33; Joey, 23; Kelly, 23; Courtney, 19; and Dana, 17.
“They all miss their brother a lot,” Shepherd said. “It is especially tough since my wife passed away just a few years before that. It’s been really hard.”
It was also hard on the community as a whole evidenced by the huge turnout at Brian’s memorial service at the Lou Booth Amphitheater, 2nd and Ocean Avenues, North Wildwood.
But rather than dwell on the sadness of his loss, Shepherd was determined to channel his grief towards positive things.
The boy who fought with Brian that night was charged with aggravated assault in the death. Instead of looking for vengeance, however, Shepherd went to court and asked the judge to show the boy leniency.
“The boy was Brian’s friend,” Shepherd told the Herald. “It was an accident. It was just one of those stupid things that kids do and I didn’t want it to ruin his life too.”
After that, in order to keep Brian’s memory alive, Shepherd donated some money to Wildwood High School for a scholarship in Brian’s name.
“Brian didn’t have an easy time with school,” Shepherd said. “But he was in Wildwood’s Resource Program, which was starting to turn his grades around. He was doing well with it and actually got second-honors one semester.”
So the Brian Shepherd Memorial Scholarship goes to an “underdog” student that might have a tough time with school, and needs a little push to go on to college, Shepherd said.
At first, the scholarship was funded out of Shepherd’s own pocket, but friends and coworkers of his at different bars and restaurants in North Wildwood talked Shepherd into holding different benefit functions to raise money for the scholarship fund.
Now they run several yearly fundraisers for the scholarship including the Ottie Open Miniature Golf at Sunset Bay golf course followed by a reception back at Westy’s Irish Pub in June as well as the Fishing for Brian Flounder Tournament in August and a Beef and Beer fundraiser at Moose Lodge 585, North Wildwood in May.
“We’ve gotten tremendous support from the staff at local bars and other businesses,” said a choked up Chris Brierly, who is a friend of Shepherd who helps organize the benefits. “We all know the Shepherd family and want to do what ever we can to keep Brian’s memory alive.”
Brierly said all of the fundraising events are not only for a great cause, but also a lot of fun.
In June, Brierly said that popular t-shirts are sold at the Ottie Open and trophies are awarded to the winners. It started small four years ago but grew last year to an event with nearly 100 golfers. He added that the fishing tournament held in August is also a blast.
Brierly wanted to get the word out for the Beef and Beer, which is just around the corner.
“On Saturday, May 16, we’re hoping to have a big turn out at the Moose for the Beef and Beer to raise some money for Brian’s scholarship,” he said.
Brierly said anyone who wants to attend the event can contact the Moose for tickets at (609) 522-1460.
Shepherd thanked everyone who has supported the scholarship in the past and all those who will in the future.
“Even though Brian is gone, his memory lives on,” Shepherd said. “Goodbye is not forever.”
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com
Dennisville – As a parent of a Tech student it would be great if the school would update their staff directory. So many old staff still listed and no new teachers listed. What gives?
