James D. Shearer 1927-2010

SHEARER

Posted By: Connie Swearingen (email)
Date: 3/16/2011 at 20:06:39

Sioux City Journal
27 August 2010

SIOUX CITY -- James D. Shearer, 83, of Berkeley Springs, W.V., formerly of Sioux City, died Aug. 19, 2010, at Winchester Medical Center.

Services were held Aug. 23 at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Berkeley Springs. Burial was in Bethel Cemetery, with military rites. Arrangements were under the direction of Hunter-Anderson Funeral Home in Berkeley Springs.

Born Feb. 9, 1927, in Sioux City, he was the son of the late Thomas W. and Coletta Shearer. Shearer joined the U.S. Marine Corps in February 1945. He was a veteran of World War II and the Korean conflict. After seven years of military service, he eventually started his own business called Sheergrain in Clinton, Md., refinishing furniture under federal contracts and for large universities and hospitals across the East Coast. In 1963, he moved the business to Chambersburg, Pa., and around 1965 began to manufacture camping trailers. Shearer relocated to Berkeley Springs in the early 1970s to start JDS Industries, where he was a manufacturer and wholesale dealer of camper tops. He retired in the 1990s.

In his youth, Shearer spent most of his time at the roller rink and was an expert skater. His hobbies transitioned throughout the years from spending weekends boating on the Chesapeake Bay to collecting antique cars. He loved airplanes, earning his private pilot's license in 1951, and was an early member of the Experimental Aircraft Association. With a passion for auto racing, he attended 48 consecutive Indianapolis 500 races.

Shearer was a former president of the Berkeley Springs Rotary Club, a former board member for the Shawnee Girl Scout Council, member of the Alderton-Dawson American Legion Post 60, and an active participant in the "morning gang" at McDonalds in Berkeley Springs. He was a member of the St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church.

Shearer is survived by his wife of 42 years, Anna Shearer; three daughters and three sons-in-law, Angela Shearer and Matt Payne of Berwyn Heights, Md., Theresa and Eric Eisenman of Charles Town, W.V., and Kathleen and Matt Lieberson of Damascus, Md.; his oldest daughter, Carole Ann Shearer of Dale City, Va.; and granddaughters, Ava Eisenman and Sara and Megan Lieberson.

For memorial contributions, the family is establishing a fund for Most Improved Student at the Berkeley Springs High School. Shearer established an award as part of JDS Industries for the high school student that advanced the most in their studies during a given year. His goal was to provide all students, even those who struggled academically, the opportunity to achieve success. Contributions can be made to Anna Shearer for Most Improved Student Fund and mailed to the attention of Anna Shearer, P.O. Box 183, Berkeley Springs, W.V. 25411.