Jane Shepard, 98, passed away peacefully at her home in West Swanzey, New Hampshire on July 25, 2026, four weeks shy of her 99th birthday. She was a beloved wife, mother, aunt, and grandmother, and an avid hiker and traveler. Born on August 21, 1927, in Ansonia, Connecticut to William Bromley Winfield and Marian Tryon Leete Winfield, she spent her early years in Connecticut before her family moved to Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1944 and attended Pennsylvania State College (Penn State) where she earned a B.S. degree in engineering, an uncommon major for women at that time.

Following graduation in 1948 she went to work at the Johnsville Naval Air Development Center in Warminster, PA. There she met William Bowers Shepard (“Bill”), and the two were married in 1952. She left work to raise their four children at their home on Berks Road in Worcester, PA, where she lived for 50 years. Jane worked for several years as the assistant librarian at Methacton High School and served as a Girl Scout leader. She moved to Skippack, PA in 2001 following Bill’s death, then to the Lutheran Community in Telford PA in 2015, and finally to West Swanzey, NH in 2022 with her daughter Betsy.

Jane was an intrepid hiker, backpacker and traveler, leading her children, nieces, and nephews on many memorable rock hunting trips, mountain climbing trips, White Mountain hut trips, and backpacking trips. She joined New Hampshire’s White Mountain “Four-Thousand-Footer Club” by completing her 46th 4000-foot mountain on her 46th birthday in 1973. She went on to section hike the entire Appalachian Trail and, upon completion, started over and re-hiked about 2/3 of it before retiring from backpacking in her early 70’s, although she continued hiking into her 80’s. She enjoyed visiting our National Parks and went on many overseas adventures, from a safari in Kenya to trekking in the Himalayas to snorkeling in Bora Bora. Summers were spent with family at Lake Sunapee, New Hampshire, where she loved swimming and canoeing on the lake and hiking in the White Mountains. Jane was also a lifelong Nittany Lions fan and a loyal follower of the Eagles and Phillies.

To say Jane was an active member of the Delaware Valley Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club would be an understatement. Over the years she served as Chapter Chair, Regional Director, Chapter Membership Chair, and Leadership Committee Member, among other positions, and for years was among the chapter’s top 20 for most miles hiked. She led countless hiking and backpacking trips with the DV Chapter, where she was a great inspiration to others and made many valued, life-long friendships. A good friend summed up Jane’s impact on a plaque presented to her, which reads, “Thousands of miles walked, enriching countless lives along the way.”

Jane is survived by her children William Chambers Shepard (Joy Lynn) of Hyde Park, NY, Elizabeth Winfield Shepard of West Swanzey, NH, Susan Lane Shepard Cornett (Craig) of Montague Center, MA, and David Dwight Shepard (Liz) of Wilmington, MA; her stepdaughters Joan Allison Shepard Wilson of Waikouaiti, New Zealand (and sons Marc, Duncan, Robin, and Ian Wilson and families) and Betina Shepard of New York City; her grandchildren Craig Turner Cornett and Sarah Winfield Doherty (Nick); her great-granddaughter Katherine Rose Doherty; and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband William B. Shepard, siblings William Bromley Winfield, Jr. and Susan Lane Winfield Hartman, stepson-in-law Peter Joseph Wilson, and three nephews.

The family will hold a private remembrance and burial at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to the Lake Sunapee Protective Association (https://www.lakesunapee.org/support), to the AMC Delaware Valley Chapter (AMC, Attn: Development, 10 City Square Suite 6, Boston, MA 02129, with check made out to AMC and Delaware Valley Chapter in memo), or to a charity of your choice. Family contact: Elizabeth Shepard, PO Box 245, West Swanzey NH 03469; ewshepard72@gmail.com.

Assisting with arrangements is the Cremation Society of New Hampshire, Brattleboro. To view Jane’s online tribute, send condolences to her family, or for more information, visit www.csnh.com