It is with profound sorrow that we bid farewell to Tim Shields, who died peacefully at home on Monday June 17th surrounded by his loving family, at the age of 69.

Tim is survived by his partner of 45 years Caroline (Cas), his sons and their partners Nick (Meghan) and James (Emma) and his 3 much adored grandchildren Jackson, Charlotte and Remi, along with siblings, Jan, Paul (Kate), Tracy (Dennis), and Tanya (Rob). He is also survived by a bevvy of nieces, nephews, and cousins too many to mention.

Tim grew up in the Scarborough Bluffs area of Toronto, where his love for nature was kindled as he explored the Bluffs’ beauty and its opportunities for adventure. Growing up he also spent many a summer with extended family in rural Eastern Ontario.

Tim’s enduring passion was art. As a youngster he would take his paints down to the Bluffs and capture their beauty. During a visit to the McMichael Gallery he got to meet A.Y. Jackson, who asked to see his work, encouraged him to develop his talent, and told him one day his work would hang in McMichael Gallery. After a short adventure living in Alberta, Tim returned to Ontario where he was accepted into the Ontario College of Art and the University of Guelph’s Fine Art BA Program. There he indeed developed his talent, discovering a love for drypoint etching and printmaking. His third year at OCA was spent in Florence Italy, which kindled two new loves. He fell in love with the culture of Europe and he also met his soulmate Cas who subsequently moved to Canada from England and whom he married in 1984.

Tim was so many things – a loving husband and father, a man of strong principle, the consummate storyteller, fisherman of the elusive trout, gardener, collector of multiple barbecues, collector of fountain pens, and a lover of good food and wine. He had an intense sense of curiosity and embodied the concept of life-long learning. Since making a living with art is virtually impossible, he took the Ontario Securities course and spent several years as a floor trader at the Toronto Stock Exchange. He became the original stay-at-home dad when his second son was born and took on the role with his usual energy. He discovered that cooking was a new passion that he embraced whole-heartedly. Self taught, he provided his family with gourmet meals, learning to make fresh pasta from which he would make noodles and elaborate ravioli from scratch, baguettes as good as any from France, and so much more.

With his family he returned to live on the Scarborough Bluffs and also purchased property in Flinton Ontario, where he had spent so much time as a child. Their farm on the Skootamatta River was his happy place and he spent as much time as possible there. After Cas retired in 2017 they spent most of their time there, and it was at that time that Tim rediscovered water colour painting, which became his focus in his final years.

After his original cancer diagnosis he and Cas decided to travel and enjoy whatever time remained, with multiple visits to the UK, France, Italy and Spain. Paris was always a special place, where they always stayed in the same room overlooking the Seine in the Latin Quarter. Trips to Italy returning to the medieval castle in Florence where they met were combined with explorations of other areas of their beloved Tuscany and new forays into Spain.

And so this wonderful ride comes to an end....... The family would like to thank the various doctors and nurses at Princess Margaret Hospital for the wonderful care he received there. Dr V. Kukreti, Dr J. Kim, Dr L. Eng and Dr G. Kulkarni. And of course Tim’s guardian angel, Nurse Practitioner Suzanne Rowland. A celebration of life will be held on July 20th. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Princess Margaret Foundation.

We look forward to seeing friends and family on the 20th any time from 2-5pm to celebrate Tim's life. Please contact the family for details. This will be an informal celebration, there is no dress code.