Obituary of David Samuel Sheps

Dr. David Samuel Sheps passed away on October 4, 2024 at the Pines Health Center at Carolina Meadows in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.  Dr. Sheps was born on January 4, 1945 in Toronto, Canada. He was the son of Dr. Jack G. Sheps and Janet Thom Sheps. David is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Mary Peoples Sheps, his sons Dr. Daniel Sheps (Jordan) of Greenwood, Indiana, and Jacob Sheps of Gainesville, Florida, and two grandchildren, Stephen and Stella Sheps.

David was a caring and generous person who valued long-term, multifaceted relationships. He loved to spend time outdoors with family members and friends running, bicycling, skiing and hiking.  The North Carolina mountains were his second home, where he spent as much time as possible during his working years and three months each year after retirement. Travel, especially to exotic locations, was another essential component of his life, as was his consistent need to read four or five books at the same time. UNC basketball was such a passion that he went into withdrawal each year after March Madness! Friends treasured his prodigious memory, wry sense of humor, love of private jokes, and stimulating discussions.

Dr. Sheps was a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he earned three degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Doctor of Medicine, and Master of Science in Public Health.  He devoted his career to academic medicine and research at the University of Miami (1974-1979), The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (1979-1997), East Tennessee State University (1997-1999), The University of Florida (1999-2008), and Emory University (2008-2011). In each of these settings, he practiced cardiology, taught medical students, and conducted research. He was awarded over $26,000,000, primarily from the National Institutes of Health on research to identify and better understand factors contributing to cardiovascular outcomes, with a special interest in the role of mental health. His published work included over 150 journal articles. Dr. Sheps was also on the boards of several professional journals and served as Editor-in-Chief of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine from 2002-2011. He was always striving to increase his knowledge and skills, and to mentor the next generation of physicians and epidemiologists.

His family is deeply grateful to the staff at the Pines Health Center at Carolina Meadows for their exceptional and loving care of David.

A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, November 10, 2024 at 3:00PM at Walker’s Funeral Home, 11680 15-501 North, Chapel Hill, NC 27516. A reception will be held immediately following the service.

In lieu of flowers, please consider carrying on his legacy through a donation to the David S. Sheps MD and Mary Peoples Sheps DrPH Cardiology Fellowship Fund at the University of North Carolina Foundation in Chapel Hill (www.unchf.org/davidsheps) or the Mary Peoples Sheps and David S. Sheps Endowed Chair in Public Health at the University of Florida Foundation, Gainesville, Florida (https://www.uff.ufl.edu/giving-opportunities/023831-masters-of-public-health-scholarship-fund/.  Note: in memory of David Sheps, for the Sheps Endowed Chair in Public Health).

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