Watch CBS News

Rutledge, Pa. Honors Mayor Killed In Skydiving Accident

RUTLEDGE, Pa. (CBS) - No one, it turns out, could persuade Scott Shields from sky diving, not even his dad.

"He loved it. It was his passion, and you got to respect somebody for what they love to do," said Art Shields.

The 45-year-old died Friday afternoon while skydiving at Free Fall Adventures in Williamstown, New Jersey. (see related story) His three daughters and ex-wife listened as people shared their favorite stories about him Monday night at the Rutledge community center.

As the mayor of the small borough it seems few of the estimated 880 people who live here didn't know him or at least know of him.

"I don't know what I'm going to do without his face every morning at the gym. I just love him, and he loved his kids," one unidentified woman said.

"He loved being mayor," said Rutledge Borough Council President, Greg Lebold.

He contends, Shields rarely shied away from sharing his opinions and he had his fair share of critics.

"Scott was a constitutional law lawyer and a criminal defense lawyer so the quality of his clients wasn't always the best and you would read about that in the paper," Lebold said.

Investigators believe Shields' main parachute was not deployed, and his reserve chute, which opens automatically, never fully inflated.

"Scott is going to be terribly missed and think good things about him," Shields said.

Services for Scott Shields are set for Thursday night at the Minshall Shropshire-Bleyer funeral home in Middletown Township.

Reported by Todd Quinones, CBS 3

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.