Gerald Dale Shields

Jerry was born in Kellogg, Idaho on June 24, 1937 to Albert John Cecil Shields and Mary Lydia Yount Shields. He lived in Cataldo, Idaho until the first grade. His father worked as a carpenter at the Bunker Hill Mines in Kellogg, Idaho. His family all moved to Poplar, Montana to share crop when his father was diagnosed with bleeding ulcers and was told to change jobs or die. The following year they moved to Palouse through the sixth grade when he moved to Pullman where he lived until he graduated from high school.

He worked at a series of jobs all the way through school giving money to his mother to help with the family expenses. Jerry organized the Pullman car club called the Piston Pushers while he worked at an auto dealer in Pullman. Jerry was a star athlete in school excelling in track and football. He competed in the NW All Stars game at Joe Albi Stadium in 1956 and was offered five full ride scholarships.

Jerry married Diane Valjean Goodman in 1957 joining the Navy in 1958. He married Adrienne June Clevinger in 1959 while stationed in Georgia. He trained and became a Plane Captain/Flight Engineer for Antisubmarine Squadron in 1963. Jerry flew hunter killer aircraft in the Pacific while stationed in Alaska and Whidby Island, Washington. He also flew rescue missions after the big Alaskan earthquake. Following his tour in Whidby the Navy reassigned him via “tail hook” to ten years of flight deck duty aboard a series of aircraft carriers including the America, Kitty Hawk, Ranger and Enterprise. Jerry served three years of duty off the coast of Viet Nam training pilots, launching aircraft and doing recon and recovery. He achieved the rank of CPO/AMEC. He loved his “kids” as he called the pilots and was proud to dedicate his life to his county and to freedom.

Following his years at sea he taught for the Navy at San Diego and supervised a contingent of 300 personnel where he remained until his retirement in 1978. Jerry received numerous awards and commendations during his career. His air unit was written up in the Naval ress for excellence in performance of duties. Jerry worked with Lockheed engineers at their facility in the south to update and rewrite aircraft maintenance manuals for 53A ASW A/C.

Following his retirement Jerry became an owner/operator of his own trucking company and logged over 1,000,000 miles in the next eight years. Jerry also owned and operated Jerry’s Rod and Customs in Elk, Washington. He once again married Diane Valjean Goodman in 1988. He drove routes and Darigold until he was disabled in 1989. He then attended Trend Business College in 1989-1990. He began working at Orondo Elementary School in Orondo, Washington as a computer labs coordinator for the next three years until his disability forced his retirement. He moved to Libby, Montana in 1998 to realize his life long dream, “to live peacefully among green and growing things as far as the eye could see.” He moved from Libby to his cabin on O’Brien Creek above Troy, Montana in 2001. He was married to Mary Christine Miller in Troy by his dear friend and pastor Joel Eikomstead. Herry loved restoring old cars and fabricating hot rods. He joined the Ignitor’s Car Club in Libby and was master in the art of leading and shrinking metal. He loved to hunt and to feel the wind on his face and the wonderful solitude of his mountain home. But most of all he lived his family and dear friends and small dog, Tessie. In 2007 he began experiencing the effects of his tour in Viet Nam as PTSD began to set in. He eventually moved to Moyie Springs, Idaho.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Christine of Moyie Springs. He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant sister and his former wife, Adrienne.