Wilfred Henry Shields, a retired sanitary engineer and founder of Water Testing Laboratories of Maryland, died July 6 of colon cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital. The longtime Annapolis resident was 76.
Mr. Shields was born in Brighton, Mass., and was raised in Arlington, Va., and Washington, where he graduated from what is now Northwestern-Ellington High School.
After earning his bachelor's degree in sanitary engineering from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1952, he served two years in the Army.
In the 1960s, he earned a law degree from the University of Baltimore.
"He said he went to law school so lawyers couldn't talk down to him and he could meet them on an equal footing," said Jacqueline H. Rogers, his companion of 32 years.
Mr. Shields worked for 19 years in the field of solid waste management for the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
He was an early advocate for recycling and implemented a Beltsville composting facility that processed sewage sludge, family members said.
In the early 1970s, he co-founded Water Testing Laboratories of Maryland with Fred Groziner.
Mr. Shields was president of the business, which has offices in Stevensville, Salisbury and Northern Virginia. He was an active member of the Board of Environmental Sanitarians.
With a son, Mr. Shields owned and developed summer rental properties in Stone Harbor, N.J., and Avalon, N.J.
He enjoyed wintering in the Caribbean, where he snorkeled and hiked.
Mr. Shields, who had lived in Annapolis since 1976, was a member of the Annapolis Elks Club, Fleet Reserve Club, Naval Academy Golf Association and the American Legion.
A memorial gathering will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Fleet Reserve Club, 100 Compromise St., Annapolis.
Also surviving are three sons, Daniel Shields of Stevensville, Wilfred Henry "Ted" Shields III of Severna Park and Alex Shields of Mount Airy; a sister, Carole McKay of Lorton, Va.; and seven grandchildren. His marriage to the former Jane Sheetz ended in divorce.