Barry William Shields

Barry William Shields was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

      Barry was born on July 1, 1946 at Oshawa General Hospital in Oshawa, Ontario. His parents were Freda and McGillvary. Barry was raised in Oshawa, Ontario. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

      Growing up in the Shields household was a bit different than most homes. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Barry was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Barry was raised with two siblings. He had two younger brothers, Brian and Allan and was constantly involved in activities them. Barry and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Barry was always consistently loyal to his family.

      As a young child, Barry was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Barry developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Barry took part in hockey and baseball and he was a Boy Scout. In his spare time he liked collecting hockey cards. Barry's memorable achievements included many track & field ribbons. However, what Barry enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends.

      While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Barry as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from Central Collegiate in 1965. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favourite classes and teachers. His favourite classes in high school were Bookkeeping and Drama. The teacher he enjoyed learning from the most was Mr. Zylinski. He enjoyed theater and was in "The City Slicker" and "Our Nell". Barry was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Barry always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him.

      College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Barry handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Barry was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Barry well during his college experience. He earned his 2nd Class Stationary Engineer from George Brown Collage.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, Barry was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Barry was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Barry to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Bob Cory and Brian Drinkle.

      On July 6, 1974 Barry exchanged wedding vows with Christine Mary Biggs at St. John's Anglican Church of Bowmanville, Ontario. Compassionate and devoted to Christine, Barry held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Christine and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

      Barry brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Barry was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Barry was blessed with two daughters, Sarah and Emily. They were also blessed with one granddaughter, Dylan.

      Barry greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Barry enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Barry was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was as a Stationary Engineer. He was employed for 30 years with General Motors South Plant Power House. Barry worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      Barry liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Barry always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favourite pursuits were model railroading, photography and baseball card collecting. Barry was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

      Barry found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. Recreational sports included the occasional game of golf. He would watch his favourite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were baseball, Indy car racing and hockey.

      Many organizations were grateful to have Barry as a member, since he always brought with him a “stick to it” attitude and a high degree of common sense. Using straightforward methods to successfully complete the job, Barry was a great planner who was incredibly well organized. It seemed that he was able to schedule any event or activity with ease. He always seemed to know exactly what needed to be done. In high school, Barry was a member of the Drama Club.

      Barry enjoyed travelling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, travelling with Barry appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Barry always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favourite vacations included Florida, New York City and Gettysburg.

      Barry was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Barry’s favourites was Lady, a Cocker Spaniel. They were best friends for 12 - 13 years.

      When Barry’s retirement finally arrived in 2000, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. His new life involved relocating to Campbellford, Ontario. In retirement, he found new pleasure in boating, fishing and he DJ'd at a local radio station. Even in retirement, Barry continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

      Barry William Shields passed away on January 21, 2013 at Campbellford Memorial Hospital. Barry fought a courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Christine, daughters Sarah and Emily, granddaughter Dylan, mother Freda and brothers Brian and Allan. Services were held at Oshawa Funeral Home.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Barry William Shields. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

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SHIELDS, Barry William

(G. M. C. Retiree South Plant Powerhouse 30 Years Service)

Passed away peacefully at Campbellford Memorial Hospital on Monday, January 21st, 2013, in his 67th year. Beloved son of Freda and the late McGillvary Shields. Beloved husband of Christine (nee Biggs) for 38 years. Loving father of Sarah (Wendy), and Emily. Special Poppa to Dylan. Dear brother of Brian (Beth) and Allan (Margaret). Barry will be sadly missed by his many nieces and nephews. Visitation will be held at OSHAWA FUNERAL HOME, 847 King Street West (905-721-1234) on Thursday, January 24th from 7 – 9 p.m. Funeral Service will be held in the Chapel on Friday, January 25th at 1:00 p.m. Cremation. Memorial donations to the Canadian Cancer Society would be appreciated.