Francis John Shields

Francis John Shields, known to his friends and family as Frank, Dad, Uncle and Grandpa, was born January 16, 1936 in Cheboygan, Michigan. He passed away in his home in Desert Hot Springs on August 23, 2022, after a hard-fought battle with esophageal cancer. He was in the presence of his family. Frank was a devout Catholic. He played basketball for Aquinas College and graduated from the University of Detroit with a BSEE in Electrical Engineering. Frank worked as an electrical engineer. He designed memory controller chips and supported the guidance system for the Apollos in the 1960’s and 1970’s. He was also a chip designer for the Onstar system.  Frank married Celine Knowlton in Kalamazoo Michigan in 1958, and had 4 children: Mark, Mary, Paul, and David. After graduating from U of D he was employed by General Motors and worked/lived in Milwaukee and the Boston area prior to moving to California in the early 60’s. Celine passed away at the age of 32 from leukemia in Santa Ana, California. Frank married Robin (Rodgers) in 1970, and had a fifth child, John. Frank and Robin loved to go camping, read maps, drive across the country, feed birds and listen to music. Frank especially loved to complete puzzles, enjoyed all sports and read voraciously. Frank is survived by Robin, his wife of 52 years, his brother Tom, his children Mark, Mary (Lawry), Paul, David and John and his 16 grandchildren. He loved his family. He will be missed greatly by all. Memorial will be held Tuesday November 15, 10am @ Goleta Beach