Mary Ann Shields
February 6, 1953 to May 14, 2023

Mary Ann was born February 6, 1953 in Phoenix Arizona to Walter and Norma Schulte.  Around 1955 she moved with her family to Southern California so her father could finish his engineering degree at USC. While he attended school, the family moved through a number of houses in several communities in the Los Angeles basin.  They finally moved to Bellflower where they stayed throughout her school years.  Mary was a happy child who would wander around  greeting all the neighbors with joy and laughter.  She once confided to her mother, "Everyone loves me.  You know why? Because I love everyone."

Then in 1959 Mary contracted a vicious viral infection which paralyzed her from just below the shoulder blades.  Her mom and dad worked day and night to help her recover her health.  With their help she recovered from the most serious effects of her affliction.  Still, the paralysis persisted, and so Mary began adapting to her new life.

From the beginning she was determined to live a normal life modified as little as possible by her physical limitations.  Instead, she lived an extraordinary life as measured by any means.

She completed elementary school at Ramona Elementary by attending class with her classmates.  She excelled at all of her studies there.  At the same time she learned to play the piano.  Next, she attended Washington Junior High School where she again excelled in her studies, graduating in the top of her class.  She also played the clarinet in both the band and the orchestra.  She accomplished all of this despite the daily routine donning a full body brace, lifting herself to transfer from the wheelchair and rolling from class to class up the ramps.

She entered Bellflower High School the following year where she immersed herself in college prep studies.  As usual she excelled in all of her studies and continued with band.  Here she also met a boy from Mexico who she befriended by teaching English to him while he taught Spanish to her.  By the end of high school, she not only graduated in the top of her class, she also became fluent in Spanish.

After graduation, she was accepted to USC's School of Pharmacy.  At that time, the dorms could not accommodate the wheelchair so the family moved to the Hancock Park area so she could drive her car to USC every day.  The school granted her on-campus parking so every day she transferred from the chair to the car, loaded the chair behind her seat and drove from home to school.

While she could easily excel in the Pharmacy coursework, the labs were simply not designed to accommodate the wheelchair.  So she transferred to the business school to study accounting.  As always, she wanted to be active in school life, so she joined the Alpha Chi Omega sorority and became an active member.  Nothing stopped her from enjoying the full university experience.

After graduation from Accounting School, she proceeded to work for a literary agency named Adams, Ray and Rosenberg where she met the most wonderful writers, producers and directors in the entertainment  industry.  She also became fast friends with the incredibly talented agents and she enjoyed many fascinating discussions with them at their homes and apartments.  She moved to a house in Pasadena which quickly became a focal point for social occasions with her new friends.  At this time she began to enjoy worldwide travel to places like New York City and London.  Somehow she found a way to move about these cities before they began to adapt to disabled.  Nothing stopped her.

When the principals of Adams, Ray and Rosenberg decided to retire, Mary moved on to forensic accounting  One of her clients was Sukut Construction.  When she successfully resolved the case, Mr. Sukut asked her to stay on as the CFO.  At that time Sukut was doing a lot of work for Orange County, California which declared bankruptcy.  Mr. Sukut asked Mary to chair the Vendors Committee of the bankruptcy commission.  The Vendors Committee was charged with the recovery of the debt Orange County owed to its vendors.  She successfully recovered the money owed to any surviving vendor.  During this time she also completed her Executive MBA at USC.

In order to be close to work, she moved to a condo in Huntington Beach.  She decided to enrich her life by sponsoring a high school student from Monclova Mexico.  The first girl, Kathy, completed a year in the US then returned to Monclova and convinced her sister Sylvia to spend a year with Mary.  Over the years the two sisters and, indeed, their entire family, have maintained close friendships with Mary.

Mary was a dedicated Catholic who attended mass whenever possible.  Twenty-five years ago her church friends decided to introduce her to a wonderful Catholic Delta Airlines pilot named Dennis Shields.  This introduction was the greatest blessing in her life.  They were soon married and many of you, I am sure, remember when Denny swept her out of her chair and carried her down the aisle at the end of the ceremony.

Together they were a perfect team.  She handled the details and he charted the course.  Together they enjoyed skiing, golf, tennis and swimming.  Denny modified each sport so Mary could participate with him.  For example, Denny arranged for a special golf cart to be stored at the course so Mary could accompany him around the course.  According to Denny, Mary could putt better than anyone.

Together they traveled throughout the world and where ever they went they depended upon their love and respect for each other to solve the inevitable impediments they encountered. They also traveled throughout the United States visiting their extended family, friends and USAFA classmates.  They spread their blessings and love to all they met. Together they also met the challenges of parenthood adopting and raising two boys to adulthood.  They prayed for them constantly, including on her last night.

In her time with us, Mary was more concerned about caring for others than herself. She supported her immediate family with love and care as she raised her two sons.  Beyond that she selflessly supported her extended family with thoughtful gifts when they needed them most.

Her generosity extended far beyond her own family.  She and Denny were also among the founders of the Norbertine Sisters in Tehachapi and they continue to support them.  At the same time, Mary and Denny also supported a child named Emily in the Philippines throughout her school years and, indeed, they supported her through dental school.

She blessed all of us in one way or another with her generosity and sacrificial loving care.  Her passing has left a deep, deep void in our lives which can only be filled by God's love for us and our love for each other.

She was right when, as a youngster, she said "Everyone loves me, because I loved everyone"