Velvie Muncy Shepherd, age 96, left this world to be with her Lord and Savior on March 20, 2019.  She was born April 25, 1922 to parents James Tilden and Luetishie (Starr) Muncy in Roderfield, WV.  She spent her early childhood in the mountains of West Virginia helping her parents raise 14 children during the great depression.  Her father worked in the coal mines and was instrumental in helping to secure workers rights for the coal miners union.  Velvie often recounted those days of the coal mine families with their hard financial times and struggles with the Baldwin Felts mine guards.  She moved to Detroit, MI during WWII and worked in a plant riveting aircraft parts and making bombers for the Army Air Corps.  After the war she married James Clarence Rambo who later died of complications in surgery.  She married James Paul Shepherd who worked in the grocery business and moved the family to Nashville and later back to Detroit. They raised two children; Ralph Norman Rambo and Sara Loutishia Shepherd while residing in Nashville, TN, Detroit and then Garden City, MI.  Velvie grew up listening to bluegrass and gospel music and loved to sing and play the guitar. She was saved during childhood and her love of God and intense desire to help those in need led her to pursue a career as an RN in the nursery at Garden City Osteopathic Hospital and later counseled terminally ill patients.  After caring for her elderly mother in WV she moved to Hendersonville, TN to be with her daughter and family where she was a member of Bible Baptist Church. Velvie was known for her constant volunteer work helping seniors in the church and community wherever she resided. After failing health led her to Riceville, TN she later became a resident at Etowah Health Care in Etowah, TN.  Velvie loved the rivers, lakes and mountains of eastern Tennessee which reminded her of her beloved West Virginia.  She praised Jesus to all who met her and had an incredible giving spirit. She loved spending time with kids having fun and helping to instill her love for Jesus in their hearts. She believed that it was more important to give to those in need and help anyone she could living her life with that code of ethics while she waited on Jesus to take her home.  Velvie is survived by her daughter Sara Shepherd (Mike) Jaquish of Riceville, TN; son Ralph Norman Rambo of Athens, TN; her eight grandchildren: Darrell Franklin, Holly Husketh Hampton and Amber Jaquish (Zach) Bradner, Scott Rambo, Matthew (Maria) Rambo, Brad (Linsay) Rambo, Paul (Nadine) Rambo, Jackie (John) Rambo.  She is also survived by 12 great-grandchildren:  Ashlyn & Kailey Franklin, Isaak, Izzabelle & Indigo Starr Hampton, Tristan & Amberlin Bradner, Link Rambo, Takara Blevins, Zachery, Ian & Aiden Rambo and special friend Michael Paul Jaquish.  Velvie is blessed with a large close-knit extended family of cousins, nieces, nephews and several special friends. She was preceded in death by her parents James (Luetishie) Muncy of Avondale WV;  husband Jim (James) Paul Shepherd of Antler, WV;  husband James Clarence Rambo of Damascas, VA; sisters Bessie (William) Gunn of Dickson, TN; Carrie (Phil) Sammons of Webb, WV; Wilda (Rob) Franklin of Big Sandy, WV; Pearl (Booker) Payne of Ft. Gay, WV; Magdalene ("Babe" Nebert) Copley of Ft. Gay, WV; Opal Muncy of Webb, WV; brothers Dewey (Louise) Muncy of Inez, KY; Ewing (Lillian) Muncy of Avondale, WV; Floyd (Myrtle) Kirk of Delbarton, WV; James (Violet) Muncy of Avondale, WV; Ralph Mounts, Jr. of Big Sandy, WV; Midge Mounts of Big Sandy, WV; and Jacky Muncy of Avondale, WV; in laws Hoy (Sarah) Shepherd of Thurmond, NC; brother in laws Fred (Betty) Shepherd of Detroit, MI; Wiley (Gertrude) Shepherd of Loudon, TN; sister in law Grace (Graves) Fisher of Thurmond, NC; in laws Walter (Lillian) Rambo of Iaeger, WV; brother in laws Donald, Elmer and Darrell Rambo of Iaeger, WV; Bert Rambo of Chicago, IL; special friends Leona Jaquish of Athens, TN and Merna Jaquish of Athens, TN.

Funeral Service will be held at 5:00 p.m., Sunday, March 24, 2019 in the chapel of Bordwine Funeral Home with Dr. Crawford King officiating. Family will receive friends from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Sunday prior to the service. Family and friends will assemble at 10:00 a.m., Monday, March 25 ^th 2019 at the funeral home and proceed to Green Hill Cemetery for the 11:00 a.m. committal service.

Donations in her memory can be made to the rehabilitation and therapy fund at Etowah Health Care.