POWDERLY – Verna Dean Shepherd, 91, of Powderly, Kentucky, passed peacefully in the comfort of her home and family on June 16, 2026.
Verna Dean was predeceased by her husband, Herman, with whom she spent 73 years prior to his passing in 2023, her beloved son, Delmer, and her grandson, Denny. She was also predeceased by her parents, Mavie and Virgil Maggard, as well as her siblings, Warren Gene, Odean, Christine, and Evelyn. Verna Dean is survived by her two cherished sons, Dean and Roger (Cindy). She is survived by three grandchildren, Kim Weatherford (Gary), Renee Kirtley (Matt), and Ashlea Shepherd, as well as seven great-grandchildren.
Verna Dean was born on February 21, 1935, in Leslie County, Kentucky, and has always recounted her childhood as idyllic, living in the picturesque scenery of the hollers and peaks of Appalachia, and surrounded by the love and laughter she shared with her siblings and parents. It was a gentle raising, full of a lifetime of fond recountings of growing up as “just good ‘ol country people,” as she would say through a broad smile and gleeful laugh.
In January 1950, Verna Dean’s eye was caught immediately by the flashing grin of a handsome young man, as well as the brand-new red Jeep he was driving. As to whether it was Herman or the shiny Jeep that caught her attention first, Verna Dean always demurred and provided a coy answer that led one to believe that, even after 76 years, she couldn’t say for certain herself. She always recounted with thunderous laughter, however, that when she once saw another girl trying to catch a ride in that Jeep, she approached her the following day, stepping purposefully onto her toes, and let her know that she was to leave her man… and her Jeep, alone. On April 21, 1950, Verna Dean was so ecstatic to marry her sweetheart that she repeatedly kissed her marriage certificate, leaving it covered in red lipstick prints, which rendered the Clerk of Courts speechless.
The love she had for Herman was only matched by the love she had for her three sons. Verna Dean was a lifelong homemaker and mother, and an incredibly proud wife of a coal miner. By 1967, the family had moved from the hills of Eastern Kentucky to the flatlands of Ohio County, and then Muhlenberg, for mining. Her every effort in life was to ensure that her boys were educated, cared for, nurtured, and loved. Every morning was met with breakfast waiting at the table, typically biscuits and sausage gravy, but even if it was just cereal, the corn flakes would be pre-poured into the bowl by the time her boys awoke. Verna Dean took the utmost pride in the condition and upkeep of her home, and she maintained every aspect of home life for her husband and children to the highest degree of perfection. She, likewise, gave the same love and care to her grandchildren, who could want for nothing when they were in her presence.
Verna Dean was unlike any other, and had a personality that glowed, even without her speaking, though it was rare that she was silent. Her boisterous laugh and squeals of delight could often be heard far before she entered a room. She remarked frequently that her mommy always told her that she “beat all she’d ever seen,” and that there “wasn’t another girl like you.” Those sentiments could not have been any truer. Verna Dean’s vivacious glow was not something she was shy from acknowledging herself either, stating many times, in only half-whispers, that “people just love me for my personality.” Verna Dean always lived life for others, delighting in making someone else smile or laugh, and making certain that everyone else around her was comfortable and cared for. Her only self-indulgence was the pursuit of procuring, after a detailed and labored search, a perfect new handbag- one that would always match “direct” with the shoes she was wearing. And, when she would decide only a few months later that it was time for a new one, she ceremoniously passed the one she had been carrying to one of her girls, which all would agree gave her much more joy than the purchase itself.
When Herman passed in 2023, Verna Dean faced living alone for the first time in her life. A few weeks ago, as Verna Dean began to express that she believed her time in this world was coming to a close, she told her family, “I think Herman would be very proud of me.” Undoubtedly, when she met him again in Heaven, he was able to tell her, himself, just how proud he was.
In that same conversation, Verna Dean reflected on her life through a smile, “Honey, look at the boys I raised. Look at the home I made with Herman. Look at everything I’ve done. I’ve done it all. Even stepped on toes. When the Lord calls me home, I can say I’ve done it all.”
At Verna Dean’s request, there will be a private family graveside service. Tucker Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.tuckerfuneralhomes.com.
