Norma Marie MacIntosh Sheppard – April 16, 1944 to May 26, 2018 Our wonderfully passionate, funny, and loving mom died peacefully, surrounded by the husband and children she adored after a long illness. As one of eight children born to Norman and Arthuretta (Branscombe) MacIntosh in Cumberland Bay on Grand Lake, mom spent wild summer days with her siblings on the Bay that she loved so dearly. She moved to Hampton as a teen where she made many friends but most importantly, she met the love of her life, our dad and local legend, Billy - or so he tells us! Dad says that they fell in love over burgers and fries at the Hampton diner and during long drives where she would yell at him to slow down. They married in the Spring of 1964 with bouquets of purple lilacs – one of her favourite blossoms. In short order, they had five children from 1964 to 1971 - before disposable diapers if you can imagine! Being our mother was always an adventure for her as we were extremely energetic and there were always several friends also running around. Adding dad’s frenetic energy and auto body business to the mix made daily life even crazier for her. The phone calls and customers never stopped and certainly made life interesting. Our door was always open – literally, there were no locks – and the teapot was always full, waiting for friends to pop in and have a chat where no topic was off limits. Mom was passionate about creating and was a prolific writer of songs and poems. She used art and music as a way of expressing herself and loved playing guitar, drawing, singing, crafting, gardening, sewing, walking in the woods, bird watching - especially hummingbirds, and spending summer days on a beach – any beach at all would do. Being from a large family, she learned to be a fighter and was fiercely competitive whether she was bowling, playing softball, or participating in local dart leagues where she was proud to win a provincial title. She was curious and had a keen interest in the world and as a voracious reader, educated herself constantly. Mom always cheered for the underdog and taught us to stand up for ourselves and others. She encouraged creativity and imagination – we were even allowed to let our friends write on the walls of the downstairs bathroom and under our big wooden kitchen table which is still in use today. She had a soft spot for anything cute and furry (dad was lucky that he was both cute and furry too) and never hesitated to rescue anything in need including bunnies, kittens, puppies, birds, and her all-time favourite, Nigel Nibbles the squirrel. Above all, mom adored us and always told us so. She was very proud of us and told us there was nothing we couldn’t achieve. Her greatest joy was watching our large and boisterous family grow even larger with the arrival of each and every cherished grandchild. She loved being called "Nannie Girl" by her beloved seven grandchildren. She is survived by our dad, her devoted husband of 54 years, Billy (Willard) Sheppard of Hampton, NB; her children, Wanda and her husband Jim Cosman of Kingston NB, Pam and her husband Scott Crawford of Riverview NB, Tina and her husband Peter Oxley of Rothesay NB, and son Billy and his wife Alana (Rowsell) Sheppard of Hampton NB; grandchildren Kennedy and Riley Cosman, Tegan, Laine, and Gregor Oxley, and Grady and Lily Sheppard; brother Harry MacIntosh of Titusville; sisters Eileen (Ron) Foster of Grand Bay, and Carole (Jim) Chambers of Hampton; maternal aunt Ruth Fearn (Bill) of Cumberland Bay; sisters in law Eva (Glenn) Fairen of Midland ON and Donna (Fred) Codner of Hampton; brothers in law Brian (Bertha) Sheppard of Hampton and Murray (Wanda) of Trenton, ON; many nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by cherished daughter Tracey Lynn in 1966; her parents; sister Hilda Hill (Stuart); brothers John (Barb), Kenneth, and Angus; dad’s parents, Don and Eva (Bryant) Sheppard. We would like to thank the staff of St. Joseph’s hospital, Kingsway Care Home, the Chipman Funeral Home, and Reverend David Turner for their kindness. Family will be receiving visitors at Reid’s Funeral Home (1063 Main Street, Hampton) on Wednesday, May 30th from 2 PM to 8 PM. The funeral service celebrating mom’s life will take place on Thursday, May 31st at St. Paul’s Anglican Church (486 Kennebecasis River Road, Hampton) at 11 AM with a reception immediately following at the Hampton Lighthouse River Centre (1075 Main Street, Hampton). In lieu of flowers, donations to one of mom’s favourite charities (the Salvation Army, any local food bank, or the Saint John SPCA Animal Rescue group) would be appreciated.