Obituary of George Edward Shields

November 21, 1944 – March 18, 2019

George Edward Shields passed away after a courageous battle with COPD on March 18, 2019, at the QEII Hospital in Grande Prairie, Alberta.  He was 74 years old.

George was born on November 21, 1944, in Grande Prairie.  He was the youngest child of Johnny and Elizabeth Shields. George was employed in several occupations, including The Plywood Factory, Sherwin-Williams, Shields Grocery (co-owner), and Red Rooster Convenience store (Owner) before purchasing Rentco Equipment Ltd. in 1974. Rentco grew to 5 locations & Bobcat of the Peace. George volunteered and was involved in the Kinsmen, ACT/UCT and Rotary to name a few.  In 1977, George married Marjory Macdonald and her two children, Shannon & Craig. Together they had 2 more children, Drew & Joan. Marjory sadly passed away in 1981, leaving George to raise their four children and manage his business. George met and married Joey Lafay in 1987, who brought 3 more boys to the family, Mike, Chris & Jason. The family continued to grow adding 18 grandchildren and 3 great grandchildren.

George was predeceased by his parents, Johnny and Elizabeth Shields; his brothers Herb and Peter; his sisters Marion Leslie and Shirley Evans; and his first wife, Marjory.  He is survived by his wife Joey, daughters Shannon (Karl) Anderson and Joan (Wade) Nellis, sons Craig (Betty) and Drew (Pam), Mike (Joanne) Maki, Chris (Sheri) Maki, and Jason (Colleen) Maki.  He was incredibly proud of his grandchildren: Hazel, Merin, George, Chase, Emma, Kiera, Daisy, Ethan, Jeremy, Tyson, TJ, Angela, Arianna, Katherine, Nicole, Dillon, Jessica, and Alura; as well as great-grandchildren Saphira, Trinity and Aspen.

Joey & family would like to extend a special thank you to Dr. Brad Martin and the staff at the QEII Hospital.

A funeral service & celebration of George‘s life will be held on Saturday March 23rd, 2019 at 2pm at Clarkson Hall at Evergreen Park.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Lung Association www.lung.ca or the charity on one’s choice.

Care entrusted to Bear Creek Funeral Home 780-830-7742 www.bearcreekfuneral.com