Joan Shields

1932 - 2021

SHIELDS - Joan (Thiry) 89, Glenville, NY, formerly of Hampton Bays, entered into the gates of heaven on September 7, 2021 at home, surrounded by her loving family. She was the beloved wife of Charles H. Shields. Joan was born in Flushing, NY, on March 14, 1932, to the late Francis and Marie (Donnelly) Thiry. She attended Bishop McDonnell Memorial High School in Brooklyn, graduating with honors in 1949. She married Charles on October 27, 1951, and they shared nearly 70 wonderful years together. Joan's greatest joy was caring for her large family but she always found time and a smile for everyone. She was employed as an administrative assistant for American Cyanamid and as a nursing assistant in a pediatric office and a nursing home. Joan was very involved in her community, volunteering for Meals On Wheels and the Meals for Homeless program. She and Charlie were long-time members of the Hampton Bays Beautification Association and the Irish American Society of the Hamptons. She loved gardening and was a member of the Olde Town Garden Club. Joan was a parishioner of St. Rosalie's Church where she was a Eucharistic minister, a Pre-Cana team member, and a food pantry worker. She loved reading, cooking, quilting, and her gardens. She treasured entertaining her many friends and family. Together, she and Charlie shared many adventures traveling around the country and around the world. Joan leaves behind her beloved husband, Charles; and six children, Susan and her husband, Christopher Mollard of Glenville, NY, Kathleen and her husband, John McTernan of SC, Margaret and her husband, Thomas Grogan of Naples, FL, Charles T. and his wife, Christine of Watertown, CT, Maureen Brenner of Delray Beach, Florida, and Eileen and her husband, David Clark of Guilford, CT; as well as 17 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Joan was pre-deceased by her sister, Lynn Gallagher. A memorial mass will be held on her prospective 70th anniversary, October 27, 2021, 10:30 A.M. at St. Rosalie Catholic Church, 31 E. Montauk Hwy., Hampton Bays, NY. Friends and family are asked to meet directly at church. Burial is private and at the convenience of the family.