ROCK HALL, Md. - John C. "Jack" Shield passed away peacefully on September 13, 2019 at the home of his oldest daughter in Red Lion, Pa., with his wife Pat by his side.
Jack was born in Vineland, N.J., February 12, 1937, the son of Edward and Dorothy Shield who emigrated from Sunderland, England and arrived in the United States on Ellis Island in New York, October 24, 1929, the day the Stock Market crashed, and the Great Depression began.
Jack graduated from Vineland High School in New Jersey in 1955 where he met the love of his life, Patricia C. Sheppard. Upon graduation he enlisted in the United States Air Force, trained as an airman and worked in the parachute/survival shop. Accepted into Officer Candidate School in San Antonio, Texas and commissioned in 1961 he went on to pilot training at Craig Field in Selma, Alabama, graduating in 1962. With his wings earned, the sky was the limit, commanding many different types of military aircraft. Jack is a Vietnam Veteran, serving at Cam Rhan Bay from 1969-1970 flying combat sorties in the C-7 Caribou aircraft. The plane he flew, Caribou 63-9760, is now housed at the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base. Other duty stations included Laughlin AFB, Texas and Rhein Mein, Germany. Jack retired from the Air Force at Dover Air Force Base with the rank of Major in 1975 after a distinguished military career.
Jack began his second aviation career as a Flight Instructor and then General Manager of Flight Safety International in New Castle, Del. Feeling the need to be back in the pilot seat, Jack went on to fly corporate jets for U.S. Healthcare and then Aetna Healthcare until retirement in 2002.
Jack and Pat loved boating on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries. Jack restored numerous boats over the years including his pride and joy, a 1972, 42-foot Chris Craft Commander. Jack was also a talented artist and singer. He was a member of the Community Singers and Singing Players and had roles in Fiddler on the Roof, Kismet, and as Captain von Trapp in the Sound of Music.
Jack is survived by his wife of 63 years, Patricia C. (Sheppard) Shield; three children, Jacqueline Lauer (husband Tim) of Red Lion, Pa., Diane Rinehart (husband Carl) of Coldwater, Miss., and Jeffrey Shield of Dover; four grandchildren, John Patrick Rinehart (wife Jennifer) of Senatobia, Miss., Jacob Lauer (wife Nichole) of Bury Saint Edmunds, England, Mathew Lauer of Baltimore, Md., and Gabrielle Orlando of Lumberton, N.J.; and four great grandchildren, Jacqulyn, Roy and Jaela Porter and Hailey Rinehart, of Senatobia, Miss.
Friends are invited to the viewing from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Monday, September 23, 2019, followed by funeral services at 11 a.m. at the Pippin Funeral Home, 119 W. Camden Wyoming Avenue, Wyoming, DE 19934.
Burial with military honors at Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Millsboro, Del. is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Online condolences may be made via www.pippinfuneralhome.com