Funeral to be held Saturday for couple struck and killed by alleged drunk driver

CORNER BROOK, N.L. — A funeral service will be held Saturday for a couple who were run down by an alleged drunk driver as they walked home from a Christmas gathering in western Newfoundland.

Merle and Marilyn Sheppard were heading home along the Little Port Road in Lark Harbour after midnight Boxing Day when they were struck by a pickup truck, allegedly driven by her brother-in-law.

The man accused in the case, Walter Alfred Joyce, is reportedly married to Marilyn Sheppard’s sister and was attending the same party, but is based in Fort McMurray, Alta.

The 45-year-old appeared in court in Corner Brook on Wednesday and was released to return for another hearing on Jan. 17.

Obituaries say a service will be held for the couple, who were both in their 50s, at St. James Anglican Church in Lark Harbour on Saturday.

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Eric Sheppard, a relative, said the deaths were being keenly felt in the town of about 500 people, where many bear that last name and have a family connection.

He said the couple worked in the fishery and lived in the town their whole lives, attending the sole local church where they will be buried.

The Canadian Press