I told myself, I even vocalized it to my dad, that I bet one day I would find him either at the Water District Plant or The Observer office. When I received an email from the good folks at Western Web [printing] asking if everything was ok and they hadn’t received the Observer yet I knew something was wrong.
I walked into the Observer office on Wednesday September 3 and found my dad kicked back in his office chair. But this time I couldn’t wake him from his nap.
As many of you know. my dad (age 78) had more jobs than one could comprehend. His love was publishing our weekly family newspaper, The Observer. His second job was being the long-time District Manager for the Laytonville County Water District. His third was caring for our horse Lily and various colonies of cats that quite frankly, adopted him because they know a sucker when they see one. His fourth job was chairing our “town council” as he called it. His fifth job was giving advice, solicited or not to many of you.
The last email I saw he sent was to Meadow at the Feed Store saying he would talk with her tomorrow about her recent issues with County Code Enforcement.
His #1 job was being father to me and my brother Jim. With my dad’s passing. there will be a large hole to fill. Just like when my mom passed, the enormity of the work she did for our community and the many lives she touched is immeasurable. I try to comprehend just how we will all move forward with this incredible loss. So many questions we all have for him will now go unanswered.
My dad taught me so much, and yet I know so little. I was always amazed by how much knowledge he was able to store. And his ability to recall so many things. Even when I could see he was wiped out or not feeling well, he could still drum up that memory, or story or answer.
At this time, I am unsure when we will hold a celebration of his life, but it will happen. I am uncertain of the future of this newspaper, but I am confident something will work out. Many of you are asking how you can help and when I figure that out, I will be sure to let you know. If you would like to write something in memory of my dad, I would like to fill next week’s Observer with your letters. Please email them to [email protected].
In the meantime, please spread love and kindness to one another, give someone a hug who needs it, call someone you haven’t spoken to in a while, help your neighbor, help a stranger, feed a feral cat, take a shot of Irish Whiskey and chase it down with Guinness Stout… Whatever you do, please do it for Jim Shields.
Dedication from Jim Shields’ son, Jim, of Sacramento:
Dad I am sure you are already stirring the pot and raising hell on the other side. You always said to leave the world in a little better place than you found it and you certainly accomplished that. Hope you are blasting Rolling Stones songs with Susan. Happy Trails until we meet again. — Love, Jim
Your father was a fantastic person. We will all miss his reporting.
Mendocino County will miss his profound insight into their business. “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance.” – Thomas Jefferson