The Baughn Family

AVERY CLINTON “TICK” SHIELDS, passed away on November 25, 2011, at home in Pendleton County. He is survived by his wife Colleen Vallandingham Shields, to whom he was married for fifty-eight years, his son Val B. Shields of Falmouth, his daughter-in-law Vicky Barnes Shields, and his sister Mary K. Armstrong and her husband Jack of Burlington. He was preceded in death by his father and mother, Beckham and Ethelene Shields and his brothers Robert and Donald Shields. He was a graduate of New Haven High School (Boone County) where he played basketball, and the Cincinnati College of Embalming. One day he and his mother were weeding a tobacco plant bed with clover in it; he told her he was going to be a mortician. As a teenager he worked at Chambers and Grubbs in Walton, then he served his apprenticeship with Ralph Stith at the old Stith Funeral Home on U.S. 25. He went to Embalming School and worked part time at Stith. He received his Embalmer’s and Funeral Director’s license in 1951 and began working at Allison and Rose full-time while still working part-time at Stith. He then managed the Walton Garage, Chrysler Plymouth and Dodge Agency for several years, continuing to work part time for Stith. He then went back to work full-time with Stith in the new U.S. 42 funeral home, and served as Boone County Deputy Coroner for many years. He worked until he had two heart attacks and was required to retire for health reasons. He was an over fifty year member of both the Walton-Verona F & AM Number 719 and the Scottish Rite of Covington. He was a member of the Kentucky Farm Bureau, a former member to the Walton Fire Department, Walton City Council, Bykota Class of the Walton Christian Church and Kentucky Colonel. He was a lifelong resident of Walton until he bought another farm, built a house and moved to Pendleton County in 2002. He and his son Val started in the early 80’s breeding Chianina and Chiangus cattle and developed VBS Farms, a nationally known breeder and exhibitor with one of the most predominant herds in the Southeast. Tick loved people, the land, and animals and was always ready to lend a helping hand.