Richard Thorpe (Dick)SHIELDDick Newcastle Richard T. Shield died peacefully at age 90 on July 18, 2019 in Seattle. He was the second son of Thomas and Hilda Shield, born July 9, 1929 in Swalwell. Dick excelled at math, receiving a scholarship to King's College at Durham U. to earn a B.S. in 1949, then a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics in 1952. Moving to the U.S., he became a professor at Brown U. in 1960, then was at Caltech 1965-1970. He was Head of the Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Dept. at the U. of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, from 1970-1988, retiring in 1991. At Brown, Dick met Lois Schmitt from NJ. They married Sept. 12, 1958 in Providence. He became a U.S. citizen in 1961. Dick will be remembered for his strong mind, love of witty tales over a good drink, and love of boats. At King's, Dick was a champion sculler and rowed on the County Eight. Dick & Lois loved sailing on sloops large and small, on the sea and lakes. They retired to coastal N. Carolina to scull, sail, and host friends. In 2004, they relocated to a lake in Shelton, WA. Dick was a devoted caregiver during Lois' cancer struggle, moving to Seattle after she passed in 2015. Dick was also preceded in death by brother John (Jack) Shield. He is survived by son Tom Shield & daughter-in-law Carol, MN; grandsons Douglas & Scott, MN; daughter Margaret Shield & son-in-law James Allen, Seattle. Surviving U.K. family include sister-in-law Gladys Shield, nephews James & Malcom & families; Edna & Neil Lathan & family; Richard & Christine Stonehouse & family.
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