Obituaries

Joseph Thomas Sheppard

04/23/54 – 09/27/20

Tommy, as he was known to family, was born April 23, 1954, in Massachusetts to Joseph and Mary Sheppard. The family relocated to Riverhead, N.Y., where Tommy attended Riverhead High School. He met his wife, best friend and soulmate, Tracey Pantaleo, and they were married April 14, 1990.

Tom was an avid remote control air flyer and belonged to the Suffolk Falcons Air Club. He loved boating and fishing and was a fan of cars and racing. Tommy also had a gift for gardening; he was proud of his growing abilities and often shared all with his family.

As a young man, Tommy was an auto mechanic and worked for his uncle’s automotive repair shop in Flanders, N.Y. Afterward, he was employed by the Town of Riverhead Highway Department as a mechanic, until his retirement in 2015.

Tommy is survived by his wife, Tracey, loving children, Jennifer Lynn and Joseph Michael and grandson, Michael Schoener, all of Riverhead; his cousin Roberta “Bunny” Phillips of Florida; sisters-in-law Donna Johnson of Florida and her husband, William Rambo, and Francine Pantaleo of Aquebogue; nieces Brianne Triptree of South Carolina and her husband, Patrick, and Bailey Godsey of Aquebogue; and brother-in-law Daniel Pantaleo of Florida.

The family will receive visitors Thursday, Oct. 1, from 7 to 9 p.m. at McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home in Riverhead. Cremation will be private.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be sent to East End Hospice.

This is a paid notice.