Julianna Mae Odom Shields
Beloved mother, wife, friend, and avid lifelong photographer.
Julianna was born in Los Banos, California, and raised in Southern Oregon by her mother, Vera Ellen Parker, and her father, Charles Ray ‘Bud’ Odom. She was the fifth of eight children.
Julianna started working as a photographer while a student at Illinois Valley High School in southern Oregon. She was the photographer for two school newspapers (totaling 20 school reporters) and took photos for sports and special interest stories for the Illinois Valley News. One of her teachers said, “If there were a school full of Julie’s, the school would be busy 24 hours a day. That girl always seems to have more projects going for her than a state highway planning crew.”
Julianna earned an associate’s degree in photography from Rick’s College in Rigby, Idaho — now known as BYU Idaho. She was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at 21, to which she said, “I have MS, but MS doesn’t have me!” She nannied in New York City and then Boston, where she met the love of her life, Richard Shields. They married on May 27, 1989. After spending some time in Portland, Oregon, they settled in Utah with their three children.
Among the mountains she loved so much, Julianna left religion and found a whole new, passionate community. She kept her hardworking, adventurous spirit. She spent a winter skiing, despite her struggles with MS. She joined the Utah Society of Democratic Women and served on the board for several years. She traveled to Spain and France. She became a certified scuba diver and took diving trips to the Caribbean. She traveled across the United States in an RV with her husband and was a trail angel for hikers along the Continental Divide Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.
Through it all, she took photographs. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a wildlife photographer. As an adult, she took wildlife pictures across the country, from her beloved backyard birds to mountain bears and deer, buffalo in the plains, waterfowl, and ocean fish. She loved tracking down and photographing Utah’s herd of wild horses, to which, her friends attest, she did not have a healthy fear.
See more of Julianna’s stunning photos here.
Julianna did not have an unkind bone in her body. In her childhood, she was nicknamed Chatty Kathy, and she remained so her entire life. She made friends everywhere she went. She couldn’t go to Costco without leaving with a few more friends. Her favorite holiday was Thanksgiving because she loved the togetherness. She always ensured everyone had a place and no one was alone. She was always up for an adventure and never missed an opportunity to support the downtrodden or marginalized.
More photos of Julianna
