Man Who Cared For Loyal Shep As Boy Dies At 83

GREAT FALLS, Mont. (AP) — A Fort Benton man who helped care for a sheepherder's dog that faithfully waited for his dead master at the railroad station in the 1930s died July 23 of natural causes. He was 83.

Benton Funeral Home says a memorial service for Steve McSweeney is planned Saturday.

McSweeney and his wife Edna raised five children. He was a banker who served as president of First Chouteau County Bank before retiring in 1986.

He often spoke of how he and his family helped care for Shep, whose owner died at a Fort Benton hospital in 1936. The owner's body was sent by train to his family back east and Shep lived under the platform until he was struck by a train in 1942.

McSweeney served as a pallbearer at Shep's funeral.