Bernadine Theresa Shields

Bernadine Theresa Volpi Shields was born August 30, 1947, to Florence Capolungo and Rocco Volpi. She was the first of three siblings. She told me once that she enjoyed being an only child for the first three and a half years of her life and then I came along; and she wanted my mother to give me back; and of course fifteen months later my brother showed up and there was no giving back. Being from a large Italian family on both sides, you didn't just have siblings; you had cousins, aunts and uncles, grandmas, great aunts and uncles and more cousins. (You get the picture)

She was a Girl Scout and loved singing in the school choir. She was shy and didn't date much. She graduate in 1965 from Hinkley High School. She then attended University of Colorado School of Nursing. After our mother died in 1966, she no longer wanted Nursing as a career. She became more of a mom to my brother and I and kept the household running; she did the cooking and I did the cleaning.... then in February of 1968, she married Dan Shields. While married, she attended the Aurora Beauty Academy and became a licensed Beautician. She and Dan did some traveling due to him being in the service. Their first son Dan, was born in Germany in 1972, Andy in 1975 and Sandy in 1979. She divorced in 1985 and became a single mom.

Bernadine was a kind and giving person. She followed me on many excursions with my children as I did with hers. My husband, Bob, was working nights at that time. I did not have a car so she and I would pack up five kids and go places that did not cost money. She was never one to take the forefront or accolades. She loved to sing in the church choir, read her Bible and cook for others.