Jim Shepherd, retired General Motors fleet account executive for Northern California, passed away on Feb. 3, 2016. He was 73.

Shepherd joined GM in 1965 during the New York World’s Fair. Shepherd worked for General Motors for 36 years.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army on July 11, 1966, during the Vietnam War and was honorably discharged on July 10, 1968 as specialist E-5, pay distribution specialist. He was assigned to Vietnam in January 1967 and served there for 11 months and 24 days.  Shepherd was awarded the Bronze Star while serving in Vietnam.

Upon completion of his mandatory two-year Army commitment, Shepherd returned to his job at Cadillac Motor Division and for the next 36 years he worked in various parts, field, and central office sales management positions throughout the U.S. Shepherd’s last job with GM was as a fleet account executive for GM Fleet & Commercial Operations in San Francisco. He retired from GM in 2001.

In retirement, Shepherd was president of the GM Retirees Association (GMRA). He was also the vice president of the 28th U.S. Infantry Regiment (Black Lions) and enjoyed planning its annual reunion for the past several years.