The Rev. Gaynor Curtis Shepherd lived up to his name as a United Methodist country pastor.

"His strength was being a shepherd to his people," said a son, the Rev. Thomas B. Shepherd of Stuart.

"He was able to go into a church and love the people. If it was a troubled or struggling church, he would begin to help them love each other again and they would begin to grow. That's not easy!"

Mr. Shepherd, who served in the Virginia Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church for more than 40 years, died of renal failure Wednesday at his home in Wilsons. The 70-year-old pastor was holding the hands of two children when he died.

A funeral will be held Saturday at 11 a.m. at Crenshaw United Methodist Church in Blackstone. Burial will be in the cemetery at Grace United Methodist Church in Wilsons, which he once led.

Born in the Bedford-Montvale area of western Virginia to a Methodist minister's family, he was a country boy at heart who felt an early calling to serve God. He always said he wanted to serve in country churches, not in the city, his son said.

For the most part, he got his wish, spending the majority of his ministry with charges or circuits comprising several country churches.

He began his ministry in 1958 on the West Buckingham Charge and later led the West Franklin, Bedford Springs-Campbell, Otter and Moneta charges.

In 1967, with a growing family, he left the ministry for a better-paying secular job.

However, he returned to the ministry in 1970. He subsequently served the East Nottoway Charge as well as Stuart Church in Stuart, Bethany Church in Reedville, Urbanna Church in Urbanna, St. John's Church in Norfolk and Christ Church in Chincoteague, where he retired in 2001.

Mr. Shepherd, who graduated from Virginia State University, also had worked part time with six funeral homes, beginning with Hamner-McMillian Funeral Home in Blackstone in 1970.

In addition to his son, survivors include his wife of 50 years, Geneva Ayers Shepherd; a daughter, Deborah S. Barnes of Blackstone; two more sons, Curtis O. Shepherd of Blackstone and David M. Shepherd of Wilsons; five brothers, Julius Shepherd of Roanoke, Calvin Shepherd of Montvale, Rueben Shepherd of Duncan, S.C., Joe Shepherd of Phenix and Lloyd Shepherd of Victoria; six sisters, Hilda Johnson of Charlotte Court House, Christaline McCutcheon of Bedford, Eilene Conner of Montvale, Linda Crouch of Roanoke, Dori Kim of Fredericksburg and Shirley Blanton of Cullen; and 11 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.