May 31, 1921 - Mar. 9, 2012
Date of Service: Mar. 19, 2012
Fred Vondell Shill
Burley – Fred Vondell Shill, age 90, of Salida, Colorado, formerly of Burley, passed away on Friday, March 9, 2012, at Columbine Manor and Care Center in Salida.
Fred was born on May 31, 1921, in Acequia, Idaho, the 8th of 13 children born to Jesse and Lovilla Duncan Shill. The family owned a farm east of Malta. Fred attended school in Malta and graduated from Malta High School in 1939. After graduation, he and a friend went to Los Angeles to work. They worked at various jobs including Northwest Aircraft. He was working there when the War started in 1941. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy and saw duty in the Philippines, South Pacific, and Hawaii. He was honorably discharged in 1947.
Upon this discharge, Fred attended college at Albion State Normal School prior to graduating from Utah State University in Logan, Utah, with a degree in soil conservation and agronomy. He was responsible for surveying the area from Salt Lake City to Snowville, Utah.
He married Ruth Green on May 23, 1946, and they had two daughters, Ruth Ann and Karen. They later divorced. In 1952, he married Evelyn Gustofson and together, they had one daughter, Debby. This marriage also ended in divorce. In 1959, he married Georgia Elizabeth “Betty” Weatherly and she brought with her a loved daughter, Betty Lou.
Fred spent several years at the Colville, Washington, Indian Agency and was later transferred to the Fort Hall, Idaho, agency for five years. He then was moved to the Lapwai, Idaho, Nez Perce agency as a soil conservationist. He was responsible for the Kootnai, Kalispel, and Coeur d’Alene area farmland. In 1962, he moved to Coeur d’Alene and returned to the Lapwai area in 1966 as supervisor for construction for the new homes of the Nez Perce tribe – a position held until 1971 when he retired. They then lived in Clarkston, Washington, until 1997, when he and Betty moved to Burley to be closer to family. In 2006, Fred and Betty moved to Colorado to be near their daughter, Betty, who has tenderly care for them in their advancing years.
Fred enjoyed golf, bowling, horse shoes and attending sports events. He and Betty enjoyed traveling during the winter months. He was a member of the Elks, Clarkston Golf & Country Club, and the LDS Church.
Survivors include his loving wife, Betty Shill; a stepdaughter, Betty Benson of Leadville, Colorado; three daughters, Ann (Gary) Freeman of Burley, Karen Dangerfield of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Debby Shill of West Valley, Utah; one sister, Lillie (Robert-deceased) Ramsey of Burley; two brothers, Earl Shill of Portland, Oregon, and Doug Shill of Mesa, Arizona; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, March 19, at the Rasmussen Funeral Home, 1350 E. 16th St., in Burley, where friends and family may call one hour prior to the service. Military rites will be accorded by the Mini-Cassia Veterans Organization. Burial will be in the Pleasant View Cemetery.
