Shep was born in Buffalo, N.Y., and grew up in the town of Lake Shore, N.Y., on Lake Erie. He attended The Hill School and graduated cum laude from Princeton as a philosophy major. He was chairman of the Nassau Lit and belonged to Key and Seal Club. World War II interrupted his studies, and he served as forward observer, battery executive, and battery commander in parachute field artillery in the Philippines. He was a first lieutenant, 503rd Army Combat Team, and 11th Airborne.
Shep married Marion Cooke, also from Buffalo. They settled in Princeton and had two daughters. He went to work for New Jersey Bell, rising to systems analyst, and then moved over to Educational Testing Service, where he worked in several departments, including planning.
Shep and Mannie had parties for the class on their 40-foot trawler Graceful. He served as Reunions chairman and vice president of his class, and was known for his orange and black Mini Cooper “Shep ’45.” He is survived by daughters Katharine “Cookey” Kimberly Gilbert and Gay Kimberly, three grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.