Dr. Leonus Lafitte Shedd

On Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2024, Dr. Leonus Lafitte Shedd died peacefully in the presence of his wife of 64 years, Marcia, and three of his children, Jane, Cary, and Omer. He was 85 years old. He is preceded in death by his father, Ira D. Shedd and mother Martha “Lorette” (Alston) Shedd of Manila; his sister, Martha Lorette (Shedd) Donner, his brother Ira “Wayne” Shedd, both of Manila, and his sister, Frieda Janette (Shedd) Felts, of Paragould. He is survived by his wife, Marcia (White) Shedd of Paragould, and four children, daughter and son-in-law Jane Lea (Shedd) Harvill and Marty Lynn Harvill of China Spring, Texas, son Steven Lee Shedd of North Hollywood, Calif., daughter and son-in-law Cary Lea (Shedd) Lattus and Robert Curlin Lattus of Sherwood, Ore., and son and daughter-in-law, Omer Lee Shedd and Kelly (Frye) Shedd of Cramerton, N.C.; 17 grandchildren, Katherine Elizabeth (Harvill) Gaisbauer, Cary “Rebecca” (Harvill) Oldham, Cooper James Harvill, Conrad Joseph Harvill, Anna “Olivia” Lattus, Robert “Thomas” Lattus, William Samuel Lattus, Mary Anne Lattus, John Paul Lattus, Sarah Jane Lattus, Nathanael Lee Lattus, Hadassah Margaret Lattus, Emmie Elizabeth Lattus, Justus Joseph Lattus, Ashlee Elizabeth Shedd, Maxwell Davis Shedd, and Caroline Jane Shedd, and five great-grandchildren, Chris, Miles, BG, Charlie, and Murphy, with a sixth, Gwen, expected in March.

Dr. Shedd was born in the bedroom of his parents house in Manila on June 25, 1939, weighing just over 11 pounds, as determined by the produce scales at the local store. He graduated from Manila High School in 1957, where he was a student and an athlete, and in particular, a basketball standout. He was selected to the Arkansas High School All-Star Basketball Team 1957-1958. In 1958-1959, he played basketball for Coach Abe Lemons on scholarship at Oklahoma City University. In 1959, he transferred to Ole Miss. On June 1, 1960, he married his high school sweetheart, Marcia White. In 1965, he graduated from University of Arkansas at Little Rock Medical School. He completed his medical internship in 1966 at St. Vincent’s in Little Rock. He, Marcia and their daughter Jane then moved to Paragould, where he began his medical practice that lasted for 55 years. In 1974, he built the Family Practice Clinic on West Kingshighway in Paragould. The Family Practice Clinic was the first of its kind in Northeast Arkansas, providing lab, x-ray, and minor office procedures in-house. He was a Diplomat for the American Board of Family Practice, a Fellow of the American College of Family Practice, and member of the Arkansas Medical Society, where he was Speaker of the House for five years; a member of Greene-Clay County Medical Society, for which he served as a delegate for many years, and was president, and past-president. In 1968, he served on the Board of Directors for the Arkansas Heart Association. He was also a member of the American Medical Association and the Southern Medical Association. In his medical practice, he was active at the Arkansas Methodist Hospital, where he was Chief of Obstetrics, having delivered over 10,000 babies (yes, we’ve done the math), he was Chief of Family Practice, and Chief of Staff. He also served on the Board of Directors, the Building Committee in the 1970s, on every medical staff committee, and chaired many of those committees. He served with Mission Outreach in the Free Health Clinic as a volunteer physician. In 2009, he was honored with the Customer Focus Physician Summit Award. He worked with the Arkansas Foundation for Quality in Medical Care for 10 years, and was the Chairman of the Board for the last two years. For his work with that organization, he was awarded a “Spirit of Service” award in 2006.

Dr. Shedd also gave tirelessly to the community. He served in the Arkansas Army National Guard from 1965-1974, and was honorably discharged at the rank of major. He served on the Paragould Zoning Community, was on the Board of Directors for the Paragould Little League, he coached many young boys in baseball and basketball community programs, gave athletic physicals at many of the schools in the northeast Arkansas area, volunteered to teach Advanced Biology at Paragould High School for five years, and was a member of Rotary International. He and his wife Marcia attended the First United Methodist Church where he served as a junior high Sunday school teacher, Youth Fellowship director, Young Adult Sunday school teacher, and served on many committees, including the Finance Committee, Stewardship Committee and as a Lay Delegate to the Annual Conference.

Through all of this, he was most devoted to his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, as demonstrated through his love and dedication to his wife, children, family, and friends. He is a cherished husband, and deeply loved father who will be dearly missed. But his family does not grieve without hope, because of all of the good things he taught us, he first taught us that our faith is to be most cherished. We know he is in the loving arms of our Savior and we will someday join with him in a glorious reunion.

The family will receive friends on Saturday, Nov. 23, from 12-2 p.m. at First United Methodist Church in Paragould. The funeral will begin at 2 p.m. with Revs. Dane Womack and Sarah Ellzey officiating. A private burial will follow the service.

The family asks that memorials in Dr. Shedd’s name be made to the First United Methodist Church or to the Arkansas Methodist Medical Center, both in Paragould.

Pallbearers are his grandsons and great-nephew, Kyle Kempf, with grandson Justus Lattus as an honorary pallbearer.