This was written by his good friend Joseph A. Greenwood Jr.
On Sunday, the 11th of March 2018, our friend George Shields left our company suddenly. He leaves behind his life partner, Suzanne Pollock, his extended family and mother, Vivian, as well as innumerable friends.
Throughout his “adulthood”, George was a Studebaker enthusiast. Whether you asked him or not, he could rattle off any fact you could imagine about the rise and fall of the Studebaker automobile brand as well as being a serial monogamist of various Studebakers, which he lovingly cared for and drove daily.
Additionally, he was a rabidly enthusiastic devourer of history having written a detailed history of Somerset County, where he was born on the 29th of January 1957, as well as having a eclectic collection of World War II artifacts and militaria, not to mention a fully-stocked jukebox.
With all of information crammed into one person, he could not help but be a delightful raconteur, but while he genuinely enjoyed telling a good story, he was equally good at listening to yours!
Due to George’s sudden departure, arrangements for his memorial are in the planning stages and will likely follow in early April. Please e-mail: farewellGeorgeShields@yahoo.com and we will apprise all well-wishers with the arrangements.
Also, since George had not planned on his early departure, a GoFundMe has been set up to help defray funeral expenses at: https://www.gofundme.com/georgeshields
While the world may be a dimmer place with our friend George’s passing, it is because he shone such a bright light while he was here. He is already sorely missed, but we are all the wealthier having known him. More importantly, while George loved Suzanne from afar when they attended high school together, he and Suzanne reconnected later in life in contented bliss (at least most of the time).
Wherever George is, he is currently toasting us with a dry, Bombay Sapphire Martini (one olive, straight up).