1977: Devon Shepherd was set to begin at Pine Valley University in the fall. She and her mother, Ellen Shepard, moved in with her grandfather, Harlan Tucker. Harlan arranged for Devon to have a personal guide, his old friend Kate Martin’s grandson-in-law, Dan Kennicott. Devon loved the attention Dan showered on her. Then, she found out he was seeing Brooke English. Brooke was rich, beautiful, and intelligent; or rather, everything Devon felt she herself lacked.

1978: Devon felt like the luckiest girl in the world when she started dating Dan. But Brooke was still very much in the picture. When he was not with Devon, Dan was bedding Brooke. The charade went on for a while before Devon caught Dan and Brooke in the act.
She decided the only way to compete with Brooke was to loose her own virginity. She seduced Wally McFadden. They both lost their virginity in a run down motel. Disgusted with herself, Devon’s problems were far from over. She learned her one night with Wally had left her pregnant. Wally offered to marry her, but Devon did not want to be a consolation.

1979: After the birth of her daughter, Bonnie McFadden, Devon settled into an unhappy marriage with Wally. As much as she loved her daughter, she viewed her married life as a trap. She sought an escape, and began making very destructive decisions.

1980: Devon had nothing worth living for. Newcomer Sean Cudahy picked up on Devon’s insecurities. He seduced her into an affair. Devon felt belittled, renting out a room in a cheap motel to be with her lover. Sean began to grow dispassionate, comparing her to the much more glamorous and worldly Sybil Thorne. Devon tried to look and be more promiscuous, but Sean’s interest had waned.
Without Sean, Devon turned to the bottle. Wally threatened to move out with Bonnie if Devon did not give up drinking. Devon tried to recover so that she could remain a part of Bonnie’s life. Wally made it clear whether she was sober or not, their marriage was over.

1981: Wally and Devon’s marriage crumbled. She finally got help for her alcoholism, hoping to be a part of her daughter’s life again.

1983: Devon made her way back to Pine Valley. Now a single mother, she struggled to make ends meet. She took a job at Pine Valley Hospital where she met a fellow single parent, Dr. Cliff Warner. One day, Cliff saved Bonnie from chocking by performing the Heimlich maneuver. This brought Cliff and Devon together.
But, their happiness did not last long when Cliff found out his ex-wife, Nina Cortlandt, was single again. Cliff tried to let Devon down gently, but she took the break up hard. She was about to take a drink when she met psychologist Lynn Carson. Lynn became Devon’s pillar. When Devon found out that Lynn was gay, Devon was sure the affection she was feeling for her was love. Devon was especially jealous of Lynn’s ex-girlfriend. Devon confessed her feelings to Lynn, but she did not reciprocate. In fact, Devon was still in love with Cliff and had just displaced those feelings on Lynn.

1984: Realizing she was depending too much on her mother to take care of Bonnie, Devon decided it was best if she left her home. Devon decided to make a new life for herself away from Pine Valley.