Catherine Shields

Catherine Elizabeth Schutz Shields, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully on August 26, 2026. She was 83 years old.

Catherine was born on April 8, 1943, in Tooele, Utah, to Josef Schutz and Lydia Minnie Lawrence. She grew up in Tooele with her siblings Joseph, Beverly, and Janet.

From an early age, Cathy had an adventurous and independent spirit. She was, by all accounts, not always easy to keep track of. As a child, she was known to wander the neighborhood, climbing trees and exploring wherever her curiosity took her. At one point, her mother resorted to tying her to a tree so she could keep tabs on her. It was perhaps an early indication that Cathy was going to live life on her own terms. She loved being a free spirit and self-proclaimed “tom-boy.”

Cathy was active and competed in 4-H and traveled to Chicago for the national 4-H competition. She also participated in swimming, synchronized swimming, and cheerleading. Her love of learning and adventure continued throughout her life.

She was a graduate from Utah State University and married Paul W Shields on September 4, 1963. Together, Cathy and Paul built a life centered around family, faith, work, and adventure. Paul's career took their family from Utah to Oklahoma, California, Virginia and finally back to California. Cathy embraced the opportunities each new place brought. She loved exploring the East Coast when they lived in VA, but was eager and happy to return to the milder climate of CA. She worked as a Medical Technologist for many years at hospitals and clinics in the various states where they lived. She spent several of her last working years at Western Clinical Laboratory conducting newborn screening blood tests for infants born across the state of CA. She valued education and work and passed this on to her children.

Cathy and Paul raised five children: Scott, Steve, Mike, Lari (Jones), and Kerri (Shek). Cathy somehow managed to balance working almost full-time with raising five children and being their biggest supporter. She was there for football, music, baseball, soccer, tennis, dance, swimming, and countless practices, games, performances, and competitions. Carpools, schedules, and busy family calendars never seemed to stop her from showing up for the people she loved.

Her children knew that when they had something they cared about, Cathy cared about it too. She encouraged their interests and celebrated their accomplishments. That same enthusiasm continued as she watched her grandchildren grow up and discover the things they loved. She took great joy in watching her children and grandchildren figure out and enjoy life.

When her children grew up, Cathy found a new challenge for herself: running marathons. She trained and ultimately completed five marathons including qualifying for the Boston Marathon twice before injuries brought her running days to an end. True to her nature, she was willing to take on something difficult simply because it was there to be conquered.

Cathy was also a woman of faith. She was an active member of her church throughout her life and served in numerous callings. Her faith and service were an important part of who she was, and she found joy in serving others and being part of her church community.

She also loved to travel. One of the highlights of her travels was the opportunity to meet extended family in Germany and Austria. The European vacation created many wonderful memories—and quite a few stories. Cathy was famously terrible with directions and managed to get lost more times than anyone would have thought possible. Getting lost became part of the adventure, and the stories from those travels remained a source of laughter for the family.

Those who knew Cathy well also knew a few other important facts: she hated traffic, eggs, and bananas. She had strong opinions and a personality that was impossible to forget.

Above all, Cathy loved her family. She spent her life working hard, supporting the people she loved, serving others, trying new things, traveling, and making memories. She was a woman who showed her love not just through words, but by being there—at the games, performances, competitions, baptisms, graduations, and the ordinary moments in between.

Cathy was preceded in death by her parents, Josef Schutz and Lydia Minnie Lawrence, her husband, Paul, and her siblings Joseph, John, and Beverly. She is survived by her sister Janet, her five children, Scott, Steve, Mike, Lari (Jones), and Kerri (Shek), 18 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren, along with extended family and many friends who will miss her deeply.

Cathy leaves behind a lifetime of memories: of family gathered, children being cheered on, grandchildren being celebrated, adventures taken, miles run, roads traveled, and, inevitably, a few wrong turns along the way. She will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered.

A funeral service will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Tate Mortuary, 110 South Main Street, Tooele, Utah.