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Education
Mountain Ridge High School community mourns passing of staff member
Craig Sheppard worked on Glendale campus security team for 10 years
Posted
Mountain Ridge High School 22800 N. 67th Ave. Glendale, AZ
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The community at Mountain Ridge High School, 22800 N. 67th Ave., Glendale, came together recently to honor the passing of a staff member.
Craig Sheppard died on Jan. 2 after a battle with kidney cancer. He leaves behind his wife of 37 years, Cathy Sheppard, three children and four grandchildren.
Mr. Sheppard worked at the school for 10 years on the campus security team to maintain the safety of students, staff and the facility.
“He really believed in modifying student behavior and helping kids make better choices,” career and technical education teacher Debbie Moore shared. “He mentored so many students with his no-nonsense advice.”
Mr. Sheppard was born and raised in Houston, Texas. He attended Marion Christian High School on an athletic scholarship and played baseball and football. After graduating in 1978, he attended Sam Houston State and continued playing baseball.
In 1980, Craig transferred to New Mexico State University on a baseball scholarship. He played for the Aggies through the 1983 baseball season. Craig was a skilled athlete, a strong leader, and was well-respected by his coaches and teammates. He served as team captain in his final season for the Aggies.
He worked with the Phoenix Suns, Arizona Diamondbacks, city of Phoenix Sports and Recreation Department and Mountain Ridge High School.
In lieu of flowers or other remembrances, Mr. Sheppard’s family asks friends to make a donation in his honor to nonprofits Every Kid Sports (everykidsports.org), an organization working to cover youth sports registration fees for 100,000 low-income kids, or Turn Two for Youth (abca.org), an official charity of the American Baseball Coaches Association dedicated to providing new and used baseball equipment to underprivileged kids.