Carolyn Shepherd

Carolyn Shepherd (née Maloney) is the mother of Derek and Amelia Shepherd, as well as Liz, Nancy, and Kathleen Shepherd.

Early Life
She met her husband on the dance floor. They saw each other and they immediately knew they wanted to be together.

Visiting Seattle
During her visit to Seattle on a layover on her cruise, she met Meredith for the first time, during which Meredith panicked and with the help of Izzie, she was made to be presentable and likable for Mrs. Shepherd. However, Mrs. Shepherd did not approve of Meredith until Meredith finally came clean and revealed she was not the type of girl that mothers like, much to Izzie's dismay. While talking to Derek, Carolyn admitted she did approve of Meredith, claiming that unlike Derek, who only sees things in black and white, Meredith doesn't and that Meredith is the one for him, giving Derek a ring that his father wanted to give to Derek for the right girl, which Carolyn believed was Meredith. ("Sympathy for the Devil")

Derek's Visit
While he was working for the NIH, Derek went to visit his mother. She told him he looked tired and miserable, which was true. And then she told him to look at his life and if it wasn't working, to shut up and fix it. ("When I Grow Up")

Romantic
She is widowed and had five children with her husband, one boy and four girls. Her husband was murdered by two people that wanted his watch.

Children
She has five children (Derek, Liz, Nancy, Kathleen, and Amelia), all of whom are doctors. Derek and Amelia are neurosurgeons, Nancy is an OB/GYN, and Kathleen is a psychiatrist. It has not been stated what specialty Liz practices.

Mark Sloan
Carolyn practically raised Mark along with her other five children. He was lonely a lot as a child, so Carolyn would tell Derek to bring Mark home with him.

Meredith Grey
Carolyn did not approve of Meredith until Meredith finally came clean and revealed she was not the type of girl that mothers like, much to Izzie's dismay. While talking to Derek, Carolyn admitted she did approve of Meredith, claiming that unlike Derek, who only sees things in black and white, Meredith doesn't and that Meredith is the one for him, giving Derek a ring that his father wanted to give to Derek for the right girl, which Carolyn believed was Meredith.

Lexie Grey
Lexie appeared intimidated by Carolyn, following Carolyn's confrontation with Lexie after Mark revealed he was sleeping with her, even though Derek asked him not to. Like Meredith, Carolyn also approved of Lexie for Mark even though she was much younger than him, claiming he had "the emotional maturity of a horny 15 year old."

Addison Forbes Montgomery
When Derek and Addison were married, Addison was under the impression that Carolyn liked her and after their divorce, Derek admitted she didn't and after meeting Meredith, Carolyn offered him a family ring to give to Meredith telling him Addison was obviously not the one for it.

Owen Hunt
Carolyn expressed some concern over Owen Hunt, after learning he was an army medic in Iraq, asking if he'd been able to sleep since his return and even suggesting herbs that worked for her.

Career
She was a navy nurse for 25 years.

Notes and Trivia

 * Carolyn is very much aware that she "gave birth to 5 doctors" and is prepared to wait to visit her children, as demonstrated when she came to Seattle to visit Derek.
 * She uses valerian root to help her sleep. ("Sympathy for the Devil")
 * She still can't sleep on her late husband's side of the bed. The mattress is wearing unevenly. ("Sympathy for the Devil")
 * She is no longer angry at the death of her husband. ("Sympathy for the Devil")
 * She was wearing both an engagement ring and a wedding band when she visited her son, likely the same rings she was given by her late husband. ("Sympathy for the Devil")

Carolyn Shepherd