When 17-year-old Leon Apostolo needed a job, he turned to his father’s friend “Bob.”
Nearly 35 years later, he remembers the “old school” and “honorable” man who welcomed him into Shepard’s Barber Shop.
Beloved Conroe barber Bobby Joe Shepard Sr. died Sunday at age 80 after health complications.
“He went peacefully,” said Apostolo, who now runs Shepard’s Barber Shop and visited Shepard in the hospital before he died.
During his lifetime, Shepard served several generations of Conroe residents in his small barbershop on Simonton Street that he worked at since he was in his 20s. He was the fourth barber to own the building. He graduated from Barber College in Houston after serving in the Air Force.
His service to others extended beyond the barber’s chair.
“He was like a second dad to me,” Apostolo said. “He gave me a job, taught me to cut hair and molded my life. He taught me values.”
One time, the barbers pulled a prank on Shepard and told him that a friend had ran out of gas.
“If he could help you he would,” Apostolo said. “They were not really out of gas but he sprung into action.”
He jumped up to help the friend before the others stopped him and filled him in on the joke.
Shepard’s shop displays treasured objects from his past, like a photo of his childhood-friend and late wife Judy’ s birthday party.
A vintage sign bearing a warning from old Sheriff M.A. Anderson is one of those. Apostolo and his fellow barber Larry Skinner tell the tale of that old sheriff who once caught Shepard running away with a watermelon from the sheriff’s prized, seed patch, which the boy never did again.
“He always told that story,” said Skinner, who has worked at Shepard’s Barbershop for 23 years and speaks with reverance about his friend and mentor. “He picked at me about fishing. He was the gentleist soul. He could talk to anyone, but barbers talk anyway.”
Three years ago, Shepard stopped working at the barbershop to take care of his ailing wife only eight months before she died.
“It was tough,” Apostolo said. “To work close to someone for 35 years and all of a sudden he’s gone. ... I thought he’d come back.”
Shepard did not return full-time, but renewed his license and visited the shop every week to talk and sometimes sweep, Apostolo said.
“He took pride in his work,” he said. “He treated everyone equally and was very passionate.”
Two days after Shepard died, the city of Conroe placed a street sign next to the 60-year-old barbershop. It reads “Shepard’s Ally.”
While Shepard did not live long enough to see the sign installed on Tuesday, he learned about the city’s decision to recognize him as a pillar of the community a week before he died.
“He got a kick out of it,” Apostolo said.
Shepard’s Barbershop was the first building to be recognized with a Montgomery County historical marker, dedicated in October 2015.
Shepard had pride in the building - dating back to 1912 - designated as the oldest operating barbershop in Texas and one of the oldest in the country, Montgomery County Historic Commission Chair Larry Foerster stated in an email.
Foerster was stunned when he learned Shepard had died, while visit the barbershop that he has been served at for about 38 years.
“Bob was a very proud son of our city and loved to share stories of the people he knew and the events in the town that he experienced over his 80-plus years,” Foerster wrote. “... Bob cut the hair of generations of men and boys in his small barbershop on Simonton Street, and he leaves many good friends.”
Foerster personally feels the loss for Shepard who he has known as long as he has lived in Conroe.
“The first business I ever visited when considering taking a job here was Shepard’s Barber shop,” Foerster said.
He said Shepard maintained a keen interest in Conroe and Montgomery County’s history.
“He would give me a lot of information about the old buildings and individuals for many years that he lived here,” Forester said. “... With his death goes a tremendous loss of a great resource for Conroe history as well as Montgomery County history.”
Foerster and Apostolo both said that Shepard was a man who didn’t speak an unkind word about anyone and that no one ever had a bad a thing to say about him.
“Everywhere he went, people knew him,” Apostolo said. “Some hugged his neck, some he gave their first haircut to.”
Thursday morning, Montgomery County said its final farewell to Shepard at the funeral service. He was dressed in his white barber smock and clip before being buried at Garden Park Mausoleum.
Shepard was born May 25, 1935, to Jessie A. and Bessie M. Shepard in Montgomery County.
He was preceded in death by his wife Joyce; his parents; and five brothers, Jesse Earl, Henry, Cecil, David Hugh, and Charles Shepard.
He leaves behind his son Joe Shepard (Cindy); daughter Deborah Shepard McCloud; seven grandchipldren Deidrea Groce-Loring, Bradley A. Shepard, Chynese Archie, Christopher M. Shepard, McCne’ Groce-Macon, Clinton C. Groce, and Alexander J. Shepard; 13 great grandchildren and five great-great grandchildren; sisters Joy Jean Platte and Jan Kay Blakely; brothers Jerry, J.A., and Tommy Shepard and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
The public is invited to view the Cashner webpage and leave written tributes to the family at
www.cashnerconroe.com.