Florence B. Shields
Age 89, of Penn Hills, on May 14, 2017. Florence is survived by her husband James E. Shields, Jr., son Robert D. Niekum, stepdaughter Linda C. Andrews: sons James E. Shields III and Bill Shields: and sister Helen Miller.
Florence worked as both a secretary and a bookkeeper. She was an avid swimmer and belonged to a local swim club. She sewed clothes for her children and created art through needlepoint. Florence and her husband, Jim, were active members of Zion Lutheran Church in Penn Hills. Florence was responsible to clean the church’s apartment, used by families of severely ill children hospitalized in Pittsburgh for medical crises. Following the end of the Vietnamese conflict, Zion sponsored four friendly Vietnamese sailors who were sent from San Francisco to a Pennsylvania military camp. Phat Nguyen was welcomed into the Shields’ home and lived with the family for five years. Services will be Saturday, June 17, 2017 at 4 p.m. in Zion Lutheran Church, 11609 Frankstown Road, Penn Hills, PA 15235.