Ginny Shields

Ginny Shields was born Virginia Mary Howell on May 14, 1947, and passed away unexpectedly on June 29, 2026. While she adored her parents, Joseph and Hazel Howell, she didn’t adore the name they chose for her, and always preferred to be called Ginny.

She attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City and graduated from the University of Utah in 1969 with a degree in art history.

In September of the same year, Ginny was set up on a blind date with Don Shields, a medical student at the university. Although he knew from the first date that she was the love of his life, she took a little convincing.

She dreamed of travelling the world and became a TWA flight attendant to explore the places she’d read about in her art history books. With Don, she visited Greece, Italy, Spain, Jamaica, and Tahiti before pausing her travel dreams to start a family.

Ginny approached motherhood with endless patience, creativity, and devotion. She nurtured her children’s curiosity through visits to museums, gardens, and historical sites, faithfully drove them to countless lessons and sporting events, coached soccer and was a Girl Scout Leader, and somehow managed every detail with extraordinary organization and fairness. When her kids were little, she neatly printed each child’s name and chores for the week on a giant whiteboard. If the week’s chores were done, a reward was given, often in the form of a Star Wars action figure.

After the kids were in school, Ginny went back to school herself, attending classes to become an interior designer. She worked for other designers before striking out with a friend to create a successful design firm. Her home reflected her passions, filled with books on history, art, and travel, and a treasure trove of family photographs. After retiring from interior design, she volunteered as a docent at the Getty Villa for 20 years, sharing her love of ancient civilizations with visitors (and grandkids when they came to visit).

Once Don and Ginny resumed their travels, their adventures took them across Europe, Asia, Africa, and many other far-flung places. She especially loved Egypt, Greece, and the UK and visited each many times. More recently, she was delighted to plan trips to include her kids and grandkids. Ginny could happily spend an entire day in a museum, reading each placard and savoring every detail. Her family often joked that while others closed clubs, Ginny closed museums.

Ginny was a lifelong learner, artist, avid reader, and unapologetic chocoholic. If given a choice between a sandwich and no dessert, or only half a sandwich followed by a chocolate chip cookie, she would always choose the latter.

A longtime resident of Agoura Hills, Ginny served in many callings through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, volunteered with the Community Emergency Response Team, and generously supported many causes she believed in.

Above all, Ginny treasured her family. She is survived by her beloved husband, Don; children Steve (Jill), Justin (Breeana), and Christy; grandchildren Ben, Cassidy, Jacob, Paul, Tom, Bella, and Jimmy; and siblings Kathie, Joe, and Becky. She was a peacemaker, a generous soul, a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend.

Ginny’s life was defined by curiosity, service, grace, and love. She was a creator of memories for the people she loved, planning activities, family vacations, and special occasions, which she lovingly documented with plenty of pictures so the experiences could be revisited and enjoyed again and again. We’re grateful she gave us so many memories, and her own memory will be cherished forever.