Lori Phyllis Shepherd

Lori Rosenthal Shepherd (April 25, 1955 September 3, 2016) Born in St. Louis to Joe and Rose Rosenthal, Lori was the middle child of a family of 5 kids. She had the best of both worlds. Two "big sisters" (Dale and Lynn) who tried to be role models, and a younger brother and sister (Jay and Dana) who made sure she had one foot in the sandbox. The family moved to Beverly Hills when Lori was only 5. She attended El Rodeo Elementary School where her oldest sister also taught kindergarten, and then on to Beverly Hills High School. But Lori was not college bound like most of her classmates. She made a few left turns, had a few marriages that didn't work out (Kim Hocker, Buddy Belshe, Bob Shepherd), and didn't quite know what she wanted to do when she grew up. She tried on a few jobs, but nothing was a perfect fit until she became a court reporter. That was the career that spanned her entire adult life until she took early retirement in 2008. It was during those years and beyond that she matured into her own skin. She wasn't just the middle child anymore. She was a role model and a leader. She was a wonderful mother to her proudest accomplishments her two sons, Blake and Ty Belshe. It was also a time when she became very health conscious. One of her favorite quotes was "when you know better, you do better" (Maya Angelou). She didn't eat anything that wasn't "healthy," she exercised daily, played her beautiful piano, learned to play the violin and the guitar, took Spanish and French classes at Saddleback College, traveled to Italy (twice), France, Alaska and more. She loved her relationship with her long-time boyfriend, Norman Aprati. They were so comfortable together. She was living the good life. She was on top of the world. She had plans. She was going places. That's the Lori we all know and will remember.