Elderly musician has his guitar stolen

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Two famous Newfoundlanders stepped in to help an elderly veteran whose guitar went missing earlier this month.

Edward Sheppard, 82, was devastated after his guitar — a gift from his late wife — was stolen from his home in Stephenville Crossing, N.L.

“It meant a lot to all of us, it was a labour of love,” Sheppard’s daughter, Yolanda, said.

“She saved for years, she rolled a lot of change to save it. And when she had enough, I helped her out and we went and got dad a guitar. It wasn’t fancy, but it was all she could afford.”

Yolanda said the guitar, which her father had decorated with floral patterns, went missing sometime in the last two weeks.

After Edward’s story received media attention, comedian Mark Critch sent out a tweet on Friday asking if his any of musician friends had a guitar they could spare for him.

“I know that nothing can replace the sentimental arrangement of the real one but does anyone know of an instrument to match?” he wrote.

Musician Alan Doyle, most famous for his work with Canadian folk band Great Big Sea, responded: “I got one he can have for sure.”

On Saturday morning, he hand-delivered the guitar to Sheppard, who was staying at his son’s home in St. John’s.

The two had an impromptu jam session, and Doyle tweeted out a short video of Edward playing the new guitar and whistling.

“Wonderful hang with a wonderful man,” wrote the musician in another post. “Hope you get your stolen guitar back. This one should keep u going till then.”