Earle A. Shields Jr.

1920 - 2019

Earle A. Shields Jr. FORT WORTH--Earle Shields Jr., loving husband, father, grandfather and son, passed away Thursday, April 4, 2019. MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL: 11 a.m. Friday, April 26, 2019, at Holy Family Catholic Church. Pallbearers will be his grandchildren. MEMORIALS: Sisters of St. Mary of Namur, 909 W. Shaw, Fort Worth, TX 76110 or to a charity of choice. Earle was born in La Junta, Colo., on June 16, 1920. His family moved to Amarillo, Texas, when he was 6 years old, where he attended school through high school. He attended Texas A&M University from 1937-1941 with a degree in engineering and a U.S. Army Reserve commission in the field artillery. He was always a diehard Aggie and was a servant to his alma mater throughout his life, serving on advisory boards and giving endowments to the Mays Business School and other departments. He spent four years serving during World War II. He served in the European theater with Patton's Third Army as a major in the 53rd Field Artillery Battalion where he was awarded the Bronze Star. He remained in the U.S. Army Reserves and was promoted to lieutenant colonel. After the war, Earle launched his career in business. He was with Merrill Lynch for 37 years and retired as a senior resident vice president. Soon after retiring in 1985, Earle worked for NASDAQ as a corporate consultant; joined Gearhart Industries board of directors; was an industry arbitrator for FINRA Dispute Resolution and an independent director for LKCM Fund Group. He also served as mayor of Westover Hills in Fort Worth for 15 years. He had a lifetime of service and volunteered with numerous organizations, including the following: Day Care Association of Fort Worth and Tarrant County; Child Study Center; Moncrief Radiation Center; Exchange Club of Fort Worth; United Way of Fort Worth and Tarrant County; State Bar of Texas Grievance Committee 7A; Fort Worth Crime Commission; Catholic Partnership Campaign; St. Joseph's Hospital; Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce; Community Foundation of North Texas; The Women's Center Board; YMCA Board; Holy Family Catholic Church; Catholic Diocese of Fort Worth; St. Joseph Healthcare Trust; Catholic Schools Trust; Catholic Foundation of North Texas; Sisters of St. Mary of Namur, Western Province, Finance and Investment Committee; Citizens Crime Commission of Tarrant County; and Fort Worth Clean City, Inc. More than his professional success and leadership roles, Earle was proud of his family: his wife, Ruby, of 71 years; his children, daughters-in-law and his grandchildren. Earle was full of life and enjoyed spending time with his many wonderful friends, playing tennis and working out. He never met a stranger. He will be dearly missed. Earle was preceded in death by his parents, Earle and Nelle Shields; his wife, Ruby Underwood Shields; and his daughter, Susan T. Shields. SURVIVORS: His children, Earle Andrew Shields III and wife, Katharine, of Fredericksburg, Thomas L. Shields and wife, Laura, of Fort Worth, Mark S. Shields and wife, Amy, of Austin; his grandchildren, Mark Stephen Shields Jr., Robert A. Shields and wife, Natalie, Erin L. Shields, Allison N. Shields, Sarah E. Shields and Katharine Hadley Shields.