Jalen M. Shepard

Jalen Shepard was born to Mary Jones and Jason Shepard on January 29, 2002 in Cincinnati, OH. He departed this life on Saturday, January 2, 2022. Jalen was adventurous, energetic, and humble. He was very family-oriented and prided himself on being a protector of his siblings. He was kind and compassionate and always doted on his sisters to their delight. His sisters reminisced about how excited Jalen was about purchasing Christmas gifts for them and actively listening to ensure he bought everyone the perfect gift. Jalen was a first responder to both family and friends in need or distress and prided himself on his loyalty. His friends describe him as a great confidant and considered him as part of their families. Jalen had a kinetic energy about him and a smile that engulfed everyone in the room. Jalen was intelligent and capable of accomplishing anything he desired. A complex, multi-faceted being, somewhat of a maverick, he had a unique way of looking at life and tended to do things his way. His obstinance made him special and yielded qualities which could have, given time, been harnessed into a lucrative career. Jalen was a technology wiz; he was very tech-savvy and loved developing video games. Jalen often said he wanted to pursue designing and development of video games as a career and start his own company. Jalen’s gift of music was evidenced by his teaching himself to play the guitar, he was an aspiring rap artist and wrote and produced his own songs. His hobbies included video gaming, movies, skateboarding, Spiderman, and music. He leaves to cherish his memory, mother, Mary Jones; father, Jason Shepard; grandparents, Belinda (Mamal) Jones, Kelvin (Papal) Jones and Bernard Matthew; sisters, Ariel Wilson, Dana Shepard, Whitley Wilson, Mia Jones, Madison Robb, Jazlen Shepard, Jada Shepard, and Gwendolyn Shepard; brothers, Clay Poole, Quinton Mendoza; nieces, Mila Scott and Aliyah Mendoza; nephew, Marquez Mendoza; girlfriend, Jade Brinkman; close friends, Quamarr Smith, Tayvion Banks, Doneasha Brewer, Ronald Pittman, Kancea Allen, Donald Stevenson and a host of other relatives and friends in both Ohio and Michigan. Jalen was preceded in death by his grandmother, Jacklyn Shepard. Visitation will be held from 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM on Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at The Norman Chapel at Spring Grove Cemetery, 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio 45232. Arrangements entrusted to the care of KINLEY Funeral Home & Arrangement Center.