Sharyn Heiland Shields' Obituary
Sharyn Elizabeth Heiland Shields, 77 of Tallahassee, passed away Saturday December 31, 2022, with her loving family by her side. She was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey to Ted and Margaret Wallace Heiland on October 30, 1945.
Sharyn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and a Master of Arts degree in Dance from Florida State University. She has held faculty positions in dance at the University of Florida and at Kirkland (now Hamilton) College in upstate New York. She has also held adjunct teaching positions in dance at Tallahassee Community College and at Florida State University.
After a lifelong involvement in all phases of dance, Sharyn decided to quench her curiosity about archaeology by enrolling in the FSU Department of Anthropology graduate program where her emphasis was in Historic Archaeology. Her interest in Benjamin Charies, his family and plantation began in a research project for a seminar final project and has continued unabated since. Her graduate thesis was entitled The Verdura Place: A Historical Overview and Preliminary Archaeological Survey. Which was published into a book Whispers from Verdura: The Lost Legacy of Benjamin Charies.
After receiving her second Master of Arts degree in 2001, Sharyn worked as an Exhibit Manager for the Institute of World War II in the FSU History Department and as Historic Preservation Grants Supervisor for the State of Florida. She was a lifelong friend to dogs.
She is survived by her loving husband John Thomas “Tom” Shields, her cousins Kirk Heiland, Ellie Holden, Mike, and Dan Wallace. She is preceded in death by her parents.
A funeral service will be held 10:00AM Monday January 9, 2023, at Lifesong Funerals and Cremations 20 South Duval Street Quincy, Florida 32351, with the burial following at 2:00pm at Andersonville National Cemetery, 496 Cemetery Road Andersonville, Georgia 31711.
In Lieu of flowers the family asks that you make donations to Best Friends Animal Society (bestfriends.org) or The Elephant Sanctuary(elephants.com)
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