Everett John Shields

Services for Everett John Shields, 87, of Pine Bluffs, will be held Saturday, April 22, at St. Paul's Catholic Church with the Rev. Kevin Koch officiating. Praying of the rosary will begin at 10 a.m. followed by a Mass of Christian burial. Interment of the his cremains will follow at Pine Bluffs Cemetery. He died early Monday, April 17, 2017, at his home in Pine Bluffs.

He was born July 1, 1929, near Havensville, KS, the fourth of five children of the late William and Helena (Gunther) Shields. He came to Wyoming in the summer of 1947 to pursue his desire to work on a large western cattle ranch. He was first employed by the Kelly Ranch on Muddy Creek, southwest of Pine Bluffs. He returned to Kansas and graduated with the Class of 1948 from Havensville High School. In September 1949, he began his work for the Gross-Wilkinson Ranch of Pine Bluffs, and has been in their employ until his death. Shields was a veteran of the United States Army, and was stationed in Germany during the Korean Conflict. Working on the ranch was his joy. He was a life-long learner and historian, who cared to understand much about his adopted community, and the people, of Pine Bluffs.

Shields and Shirley Seligman were married April 7, 1956, at St. Paul's Catholic Church, in Pine Bluffs. Both were active parishioners throughout their married life. They celebrated 40 years of marriage, before her passing in September 1996, at the age 63. During his younger years, Shields was a member of the Jaycees who built the original fence at the Pine Bluffs rodeo arena.

He is survived by two children, John William Shields and his wife, Janelle, of Boulder City, Nevada, and Mary Anne Ackatz and her husband, Donald, of Burns, Wyoming. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Shirley (1996), brothers, Jerome (1999) and William (2008), and sisters, Rosanna (2011) and Mary Ellen (April 16, 2017).