Nancy E. (Coen) Shepard, age 83, of Middletown died Friday, September 1, 2017, at John Clarke Health Care Center of Middletown, RI. Mrs. Shepard was born on October 14, 1933 in Newport, RI, the daughter of the late Philip and the late Edith (Brigham) Coen.

She was the wife of Richard C. Shepard for the last 63 years.

Nancy was a 1951 graduate of Rogers High School and worked as a Customer Services Representative for a bank for many years.

Besides her husband, Richard C. Shepard, she is survived by her two daughters, Kathleen Edwards of Tiverton, RI and Lori Zarlenga of Fort Myers, FL, and one son, Richard C. Shepard, Jr. of Raleigh, NC, six grandchildren and five great grandchildren.

Her services will be private and her burial will take place in the Middletown Four Corners Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in her memory may be made to Beacon Hospice, 529 Main Street, Suite 101, Charlestown, MA 02129.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...