LTC (Ret) Lawrence D. Shields, ‘Larry’, died on January 7, 2017 in Huntsville at the age of 93 after a short illness.
Larry is survived by wife, Virginia Shields; daughter, Mary Lou Bernhagen; son, Lawrence S. Shields; granddaughter, Sarah Donley; grandsons, Alex Shields and Jeffrey Shields; and several great grandchildren.
Larry was born on January 19, 1923 in Utica New York to Vincent and Florence Shields. He graduated from Phillips High School in Birmingham and Birmingham Southern University. He was a career Army officer, serving in both World War II and Korea. He and his family lived in many states and different countries, including the Panama Canal Zone, El Salvador, and Colombia. Following his retirement from the military, he worked for the State of North Carolina. After the death of his first wife, Jane Shields, in 1986 Larry returned to Colombia several times to help arrange adoptions for homeless girls.
A Military Funeral with honors is scheduled for 1:00 PM Saturday, January 14, 2017 at Laughlin Service Funeral Home with Dr. Randall Jenkins officiating. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Larry’s life.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Huntsville Downtown Rescue Mission or the charity of your choice.
