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A Celebration of Life for Michael Bruce Shields, age 69, of Tulsa, will be held at 2:30 in the afternoon on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019, at Christ Presbyterian Church, 2706 E. 51st St. in Tulsa, with Pastor Matthew Goodman of Reformation Church officiating.
Mike was born Dec. 19, 1949, in Espanola, N.M. to James and Janet Shields. He "entered His courts with praise" after an extended illness on Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019. He was surrounded by his family and lots of love.
As a young boy, Mike moved with his family to Buena Park, CA and attended school there. He attended John F. Kennedy High School and also studied at Cypress Junior College. After spending some time in Southern California and Las Vegas, he moved to Oklahoma where he met and married Susan Diesterweg of Enid in 1974. They lived in Colorado Springs, Colo. for a short time, but eventually returned to Enid, Okla., where Mike began a long and diverse career in the oil field working for Hamm and Phillips, Gearhart, and finally for Halliburton.
Mike and Susan were blessed with three children. His "favorite one and only oldest son" Eli Shields of Wichita, his "favorite one and only daughter" Shemaiah Shields Murphy of Tulsa, and "his favorite one and only youngest son" Seth Shields of Tulsa.
In 1993, Mike began a "long commute" in the off-shore oil industry to the African countries of Angola and Nigeria. During this time he made his home base in Norman (with his second wife Laura Cooper), Enid, Grand View, Wash.; Apple Valley, Calif.; Clovis, Calif. He eventually returned to working in the U.S. full time and finished his oil field career working in Bakersfield, Calif.. Mike held many specialties in the oil and gas industry including hot oil servicing, logging and perforating, business analysis, and working with liquid nitrogen servicing. He was always apt to learn new things, and truly interested in teaching others how those things worked.
Mike retired in 2007 and moved to Tulsa to be closer to family as he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. Mike spent his retirement years enjoying time with family, enjoying his grandkids in both Wichita and Tulsa, solving the world's problems with his brother and best friend Jim Shields, taking up new hobbies including target shooting, drone videography, watching golf and hanging out with friends at the local coffee shop or sports bar. He was an avid reader and greatly enjoyed testing his wide vocabulary in a competitive game of Scrabble!
Mike was preceded in death by his parents James "Bud" Shields and Janet Cashman Shields, the mother of his children Susan Diesterweg Shields, and his nephew Paul Donlan.
He is survived by his three children and their spouses, Eli and Shannon Shields, Aaron and Shemaiah Murphy, Seth Shields, and his nine grandchildren to whom he was known as "Grandpa Shields" and "Papa"; his three siblings include his brother Jim Shields of Muskogee, Okla.; his sister Cheryl Donlan and her husband Dave of Bend, Ore.; and his sister Janet Horvath and her husband Ken of Alpharetta, Ga. He also has seven nephews and nieces spread out across the United States.
Mike was a believer and follower of Jesus Christ, and ensured his children knew the way of the Lord. Today we rejoice that his body is fully restored, and his feet are dancing before the throne of God!
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