Obituary of Phyllis Shields

Phyllis Mae (Larabee) Shields was born April 23, 1933, in South Dakota to Edward and Iva Pearl (Currier) Larabee.  She was the 2^nd oldest of eight children.  Phyllis passed away March 18, 2024, at Azria Health Care Center in Clarinda, Iowa, surrounded by her family.

When she was a young girl, they moved to the Elmo, Missouri area. The family lived around Northwest Missouri and Southwest Iowa; this is where she spent most of her time growing up.

One year, while she was working at a rodeo, she met the love of her life, Kenneth Shields.  She was working at the carnival, and he was a bareback rider.  It wasn’t long before they knew they were meant to be together.  They married on November 2, 1950, and to their union they were blessed with 6 children: Sandy, Randy, Ray, Debra, Ronnie, and Pam.

Phyllis was a devoted wife and mother, she loved to cook, loved her church and when she put her heart into something you knew you were getting her very best.  She served as a committee member to have the low-rent housing built in Coin, and she also served on the Centennial celebration Board for Coin. 

Phyllis worked various jobs throughout her life, such as a CNA at the local hospitals, Carol Wright in Lincoln, Ne, a cook and waitress at the Coin Café and a cook at the local schools, and on top of that all she also had 60 years in as an Avon representative.

She is preceded in death by her husband Kenneth of 68 years, her parents Edward and Iva Larabee; sons, Randy and Ray Shields; great-grandsons, Nolan and Junior; brothers, William, Kenneth, Darrell, and Dennis; sister, Shirley and Mrytle.

Left to cherish her memory are her children; Sandra (Mike) Alexander, Northboro, Iowa, Ronald Shields (Sherry Kelley), Sumner, Nebraska, Debra (Donald) Argo, Shenandoah, Iowa, Pamela Sittner, Lincoln, Nebraska, daughter-in-law Jody Shields, Miller, Nebraska, over 21 grandchildren, 51 great-grandchildren, and 9 great-great-grandchildren, sister, Lois (Hershel) Bahr, Lincoln, Nebraska along with many other family members and friends.