Laurence Bernard Shields

LAURENCE BERNARD SHIELDS, 85, of Valley Falls, Oregon passed away to be with our Lord on Friday, August 12th, 2022 in Lakeview, Oregon of natural causes.  Larry was born on June 25th, 1937 in Norwalk, Connecticut to Laurence and Mary Shields. 

He enlisted in the United States Navy on June 29th, 1954 earning the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.  On October 8th, 1960, Larry married Carol Ann Wozny in Norwalk, CT.  Larry was employed by the Norwalk Police Department for 26 years earning the rank of Detective Sergeant.  He was in charge of the identification division which included crime scene photography, investigations, and fingerprints.  He was proud of his work at the NPD and was the go-to person.  Larry retired from the Norwalk Police Department in June of 1985 and moved to Phoenix, Arizona where he was employed by the Scottsdale Police Department and the Arizona Lottery.  Larry and his wife, Carol, then moved to Florida where he worked for the Walt Disney Company in Security.  Eventually, they decided to move to Oregon to retire full-time and to be closer to family.  Larry helped the Lake County Sheriff’s Department doing reserve deputy work helping with transporting inmates for a short time. 

Larry’s hobbies were cooking, woodworking, and tinkering with anything he could get his hands on.  He always said, “I can fix anything but a broken heart”.  Larry was known to friends and family for his wonderful homemade pizza. Larry loved to laugh and was always telling stories of his time in the Navy and of people he worked with over the years. 

Larry is survived by his wife of 61 years, Carol of Valley Falls, Oregon; his son Timothy and wife Lynn of Greenwich, Connecticut; his son Kevin and wife Julie of Salem, Oregon; his daughter Sue and husband Tim of Valley Falls, Oregon.  Grandchildren, Timothy Jr., Alyson, Adam, Samantha, Bryan, and Logan.  Larry also had 5 step-grandchildren, Casey, Jacob, Kelsey, Lindsey, and Jonas who loved him very much.

A service will be held with military honors at the Desert Rose funeral chapel on Friday, August 26th at 11:00 AM.  Graveside burial will be held at the Silver Lake cemetery on Saturday, August 27th at 1:00 PM. 

Donations in the name of Larry can be made to the Lakeview VFW, PO Box 134, Lakeview, OR 97630

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