1928 - Alderson High School - 1968

 

 

Diane Ellis Shields - Obituary

January 28, 1941 - September 2, 2019

Diane Virginia Ellis Shields, 78, was welcomed into the Kingdom of God by her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, her parents Guy and Helen Ellis, her husband David B. Shields, Sr., her grandson Chase Brauda, and other loving family members and friends on September 2, 2019.

Born on January 28, 1941 in Lewisburg, West Virginia, Diane was raised in the quaint, little town of Ronceverte, West Virginia in the Greenbrier Valley. Down the road in the town of Alderson, Diane, a majorette for her high school, would become the sweetheart of the star football player, David, who earned a football scholarship to the University of Tennessee. Much to the chagrin of the Alderson girls, David did not head to Knoxville without first asking for Diane’s hand in marriage. After graduating from high school in 1959, David and Diane were married at the Saint Catherine’s church in Ronceverte.

In 1962, Diane and her husband and new born son, David B. Shields, Jr. would leave Rocky Top behind and become part of the Ware County Gator community in Waycross, Georgia. Over the course of the next seven years, Diane and David, members of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church of Waycross, would welcome two more children: a son, Gregory F. Shields, and a daughter, Susan D. Shields Brauda.

Throughout Diane’s life, she contributed her talents to different areas of vocation: Medical Business Bureau, DeShazos, and Belks. In the early 1970s, she also contributed to the Waycross Area Community Theater (WACT) both on and off the stage. Later in life, Diane would be a member of the Red Hat Society and a group of friends who dubbed themselves, the “Green Screen Girls.” Even so, by her own admission, Diane would proudly attest that her greatest accomplishment was by far being a Homemaker.

Whatever Diane’s outside pursuits were, they always took a backseat when it came to her family. Diane is fondly remembered for her eye for design and décor, breathtaking floral arrangements, and mouthwatering meals, including her legendary home-made spaghetti sauce and jambalaya. An avid football fan, Diane supported the Ware County Gators with season tickets for most of her adult life and was quite partial to former Green Bay Packers QB, Brett Favre. As her children grew to adulthood, so did her family: daughter in laws, Sophie Walker Shields (husband David), Melissa Todd Shields (husband Greg); son in law, Chad Brauda (wife Susan); and her pride and joy – five amazing grandchildren: David B. Shields, III (Trey), Jessica E. Shields, Sydney M. Shields, Morgan M. Brauda, and Chase C. Brauda.

The family will be receiving friends Tuesday evening (September 3, 2019) at Music Funeral Home from 5 until 7 o’clock. Diane will be cremated and her remains will be transported at a later date to Greenbrier Valley.

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