Obituary for David Shrock
David Leslie Shrock, 82, died unexpectedly December 22, 2022 at his home in his beloved Chesterfield. David was born on the family farm on April 1, 1940 in Utahville, PA, the son of Doris Evelyn (Green) and Thomas Leo Shrock Sr. David adored his mother, who supported his artistic endeavors, and admired his dad’s work ethic and dedication to family.
David is survived by his wife and best friend, the former Frances Gail Schmid, whom he married on June 18, 1966; a son, Jesse Shrock of Chesterfield; a daughter, Sarah (John) Yarger, and their children, Wesley, Samuel, Lewis, and Leah, residing on the family farm. He is also survived by his five siblings: Tom (Toots) Shrock, Kathy (Robert) Phillips, Gaye Scott, Gloria Arkwright, and Robin (Denise) Shrock.
David helped his father, brother Tom, and beloved grandfather, Jesse Green, milk a herd of 25 Guernsey cows until 1957. While still in high school, David, his brother, and his father operated the 3 S Coal Company on the family farm. David graduated in 1958 from BCI high school. The next year, Tom and David leased and operated the T&D Service Station in Phillipsburg, PA.
David began serving in the United States Army Reserves at Camp Pickett in 1960. He was assigned to refurbish ammunition at Aberdeen Proving Ground. He joked that he was probably the last person alive who was trained in the maintenance of the MGR-1 Honest John rocket. In the fall of 1960, David moved to Chicago to work and attend DeVry Technical Institute. In 1961, he returned to the family farm, where he opened Shrock Body Shop with his brother Tom. David customized and sold cars to fund his studies at Penn State University, where he initially studied engineering and psychology until he decided to follow his passion for art. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1968 and taught pottery at Penn State for a year to fund his graduate studies in fine art. He was a vendor at the first Penn State arts festival. In 1970, David started working full-time with his father and brother Tom at Shrock Body Shop. He co-owned Chesterfield Pottery with David Repsher from 1970 to 1976. He frequently let his young son decorate his pottery with trains.
In 1985, changes to the car insurance industry led Tom to transition their business into manufacturing reproduction Studebaker parts. That year they formed Shrock Bros Toys and began the production of miniature cars, which were modeled by David, cast by Tom, and painted by David and Frances. David estimated that he prototyped over 200 different Studebaker body styles. The brothers also became well-known for their remanufactured Studebaker steering wheels. Not shy of the spotlight, David was always eager to share his life stories, which included surviving Polio and battling chronic Lyme disease. He hated to talk on the telephone, unless you wanted to talk about Studebakers. David took pride in his many talents. He loved showing visitors Shrock Body Shop's collection of vintage Studebakers. He was fond of explaining the aerodynamics of the Super Turtle, a car he designed and built in 1962. He was incredibly proud of the yellow 1935 Studebaker that he and Tom restored for a friend, which was featured in the movie "The Color Purple." David liked accuracy and precision in all things—count yourself lucky that you never built four chicken coops with him. He was always confident and self-assured. He felt he "had the skills to back it up."
He never forgot a kindness and made it a practice to forgive others. He had the nicest friends, and so many of them. He often used a modified WWII Weasel to plow out all his elderly neighbors and bring them groceries during fierce winter storms in the mid-1970s. He also removed snow early on Sunday mornings so that his neighbors could go to church. He was generous with others while also being incredibly frugal. He would be delighted to know that we chose PA Simple Cremation’s direct cremation service and plan to use one of his 1970s pots as his urn. His urn is a pot that he discovered on eBay many years ago, and it delighted him to re-purchase it. An artist usually sells the best examples of their work, so he had nothing like this in his small collection of pots. He confidently admired his craftsmanship in this long-forgotten piece. When beavers moved onto his property, he spent an entire year photographing them and their dam. He loved watching all of the waterfowl and wildlife that flourished after the beavers arrived. Due to the rigors of farm life, he did not have the luxury of participating in youth sports. He lived vicariously through his son's participation in baseball and wrestling. Though he never traveled in bad weather, he also never missed one of Moshannon Valley's wrestling matches. In his quest to view every one of Jesse's matches, he had to break his rule of never driving when freezing rain was predicted. That night he chiseled the ice from the windshield and wound down the windows of our faithful Volvo 240, knocking sheets of ice free. He drove very slowly up Tyrone mountain, and many prayers were said. When he discovered triathlons, he convinced his wife and children to train with him. Sometimes a prankster, he once secretly practiced his daughter's piano lesson for hours, so he could pretend that he was able to recall how to read music and play "Swans on the Lake" from his two childhood piano lessons.
He did most of his traveling before the age of 25, with one exception being his trip to see Sarah and John in Hawaii in 1995. He watched every Jacques Cousteau and Marty Stouffer program on PBS more than once. It wasn't just that PBS was one of two clear channels the family TV received in the 70s and 80s, it was the only one whose programming he enjoyed and deemed worthy of his time. David left the plane upon his arrival in Hawaii and went directly to his first scuba lesson, which he quickly deemed the "worst Christmas present ever." Two weeks later, after his final PADI dive and holding an octopus with Fran, he deemed it "the best Christmas present ever." He carried his PADI diver certification for decades. David loved being a grandfather, though visits were infrequent due to their father being in the Marine Corps. Regardless of the time zone, a birthday wasn't a birthday until he and Fran called and sang to their grandchildren. In two days, he and Jesse built a treehouse and slide for the visiting grandchildren. He asked the boys to hand him tools and wood, making them part of the experience and creating lasting memories. When he heard how much his grandchildren loved a pirate ship surrounded by water at Playmobile Fun Park in Germany, he asked his brother to help him create a spring-fed pond with a play boat. They later added a waterfall, and Fran helped him build a stone picnic area that has been enjoyed by so many. He was whimsical and knew how to connect with his inner child, making him such a fun Pappy. We never got around to writing it, but he thought his life story would make a great book. He was truly one of a kind, the best kind. Accustomed to following his big brother everywhere, this is David's first solo adventure.
David's hobbies included fabricating elegant solutions to difficult problems, swimming, cycling, running, sailing, photography, drawing, painting, singing, playing the harmonica, flea marketing, fixing and repurposing things, planting fruit trees, (inexplicably planting pine trees), creating wetlands and waterfalls, and spending time with his family.
We cannot express enough our gratitude to the volunteers at Madera Ambulance Services, the AMED paramedics who raced from Altoona to assist, and the staff at Tyrone Hospital who all tried to give us more time with David. Thank you!
David enjoyed supporting the March of Dimes, who helped his parents so much when three of their children had polio, and the Glen Hope United Methodist Church. A celebration of life will be held at the Glen Hope United Methodist Church, 5985 Glen Hope Boulevard, Glen Hope, PA 16645, on Saturday, June 17th. Friends and family will be received at 1:00 pm with a service at 2:00 pm. Fellowship and food will follow the service at the Glen Hope Volunteer Fire Company, 48 Pine Street, Glen Hope, PA 16645. Casual dress is requested. David was most comfortable in denim.
David is survived by his wife and best friend, the former Frances Gail Schmid, whom he married on June 18, 1966; a son, Jesse Shrock of Chesterfield; a daughter, Sarah (John) Yarger, and their children, Wesley, Samuel, Lewis, and Leah, residing on the family farm. He is also survived by his five siblings: Tom (Toots) Shrock, Kathy (Robert) Phillips, Gaye Scott, Gloria Arkwright, and Robin (Denise) Shrock.
David helped his father, brother Tom, and beloved grandfather, Jesse Green, milk a herd of 25 Guernsey cows until 1957. While still in high school, David, his brother, and his father operated the 3 S Coal Company on the family farm. David graduated in 1958 from BCI high school. The next year, Tom and David leased and operated the T&D Service Station in Phillipsburg, PA.
David began serving in the United States Army Reserves at Camp Pickett in 1960. He was assigned to refurbish ammunition at Aberdeen Proving Ground. He joked that he was probably the last person alive who was trained in the maintenance of the MGR-1 Honest John rocket. In the fall of 1960, David moved to Chicago to work and attend DeVry Technical Institute. In 1961, he returned to the family farm, where he opened Shrock Body Shop with his brother Tom. David customized and sold cars to fund his studies at Penn State University, where he initially studied engineering and psychology until he decided to follow his passion for art. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1968 and taught pottery at Penn State for a year to fund his graduate studies in fine art. He was a vendor at the first Penn State arts festival. In 1970, David started working full-time with his father and brother Tom at Shrock Body Shop. He co-owned Chesterfield Pottery with David Repsher from 1970 to 1976. He frequently let his young son decorate his pottery with trains.
In 1985, changes to the car insurance industry led Tom to transition their business into manufacturing reproduction Studebaker parts. That year they formed Shrock Bros Toys and began the production of miniature cars, which were modeled by David, cast by Tom, and painted by David and Frances. David estimated that he prototyped over 200 different Studebaker body styles. The brothers also became well-known for their remanufactured Studebaker steering wheels. Not shy of the spotlight, David was always eager to share his life stories, which included surviving Polio and battling chronic Lyme disease. He hated to talk on the telephone, unless you wanted to talk about Studebakers. David took pride in his many talents. He loved showing visitors Shrock Body Shop's collection of vintage Studebakers. He was fond of explaining the aerodynamics of the Super Turtle, a car he designed and built in 1962. He was incredibly proud of the yellow 1935 Studebaker that he and Tom restored for a friend, which was featured in the movie "The Color Purple." David liked accuracy and precision in all things—count yourself lucky that you never built four chicken coops with him. He was always confident and self-assured. He felt he "had the skills to back it up."
He never forgot a kindness and made it a practice to forgive others. He had the nicest friends, and so many of them. He often used a modified WWII Weasel to plow out all his elderly neighbors and bring them groceries during fierce winter storms in the mid-1970s. He also removed snow early on Sunday mornings so that his neighbors could go to church. He was generous with others while also being incredibly frugal. He would be delighted to know that we chose PA Simple Cremation’s direct cremation service and plan to use one of his 1970s pots as his urn. His urn is a pot that he discovered on eBay many years ago, and it delighted him to re-purchase it. An artist usually sells the best examples of their work, so he had nothing like this in his small collection of pots. He confidently admired his craftsmanship in this long-forgotten piece. When beavers moved onto his property, he spent an entire year photographing them and their dam. He loved watching all of the waterfowl and wildlife that flourished after the beavers arrived. Due to the rigors of farm life, he did not have the luxury of participating in youth sports. He lived vicariously through his son's participation in baseball and wrestling. Though he never traveled in bad weather, he also never missed one of Moshannon Valley's wrestling matches. In his quest to view every one of Jesse's matches, he had to break his rule of never driving when freezing rain was predicted. That night he chiseled the ice from the windshield and wound down the windows of our faithful Volvo 240, knocking sheets of ice free. He drove very slowly up Tyrone mountain, and many prayers were said. When he discovered triathlons, he convinced his wife and children to train with him. Sometimes a prankster, he once secretly practiced his daughter's piano lesson for hours, so he could pretend that he was able to recall how to read music and play "Swans on the Lake" from his two childhood piano lessons.
He did most of his traveling before the age of 25, with one exception being his trip to see Sarah and John in Hawaii in 1995. He watched every Jacques Cousteau and Marty Stouffer program on PBS more than once. It wasn't just that PBS was one of two clear channels the family TV received in the 70s and 80s, it was the only one whose programming he enjoyed and deemed worthy of his time. David left the plane upon his arrival in Hawaii and went directly to his first scuba lesson, which he quickly deemed the "worst Christmas present ever." Two weeks later, after his final PADI dive and holding an octopus with Fran, he deemed it "the best Christmas present ever." He carried his PADI diver certification for decades. David loved being a grandfather, though visits were infrequent due to their father being in the Marine Corps. Regardless of the time zone, a birthday wasn't a birthday until he and Fran called and sang to their grandchildren. In two days, he and Jesse built a treehouse and slide for the visiting grandchildren. He asked the boys to hand him tools and wood, making them part of the experience and creating lasting memories. When he heard how much his grandchildren loved a pirate ship surrounded by water at Playmobile Fun Park in Germany, he asked his brother to help him create a spring-fed pond with a play boat. They later added a waterfall, and Fran helped him build a stone picnic area that has been enjoyed by so many. He was whimsical and knew how to connect with his inner child, making him such a fun Pappy. We never got around to writing it, but he thought his life story would make a great book. He was truly one of a kind, the best kind. Accustomed to following his big brother everywhere, this is David's first solo adventure.
David's hobbies included fabricating elegant solutions to difficult problems, swimming, cycling, running, sailing, photography, drawing, painting, singing, playing the harmonica, flea marketing, fixing and repurposing things, planting fruit trees, (inexplicably planting pine trees), creating wetlands and waterfalls, and spending time with his family.
We cannot express enough our gratitude to the volunteers at Madera Ambulance Services, the AMED paramedics who raced from Altoona to assist, and the staff at Tyrone Hospital who all tried to give us more time with David. Thank you!
David enjoyed supporting the March of Dimes, who helped his parents so much when three of their children had polio, and the Glen Hope United Methodist Church. A celebration of life will be held at the Glen Hope United Methodist Church, 5985 Glen Hope Boulevard, Glen Hope, PA 16645, on Saturday, June 17th. Friends and family will be received at 1:00 pm with a service at 2:00 pm. Fellowship and food will follow the service at the Glen Hope Volunteer Fire Company, 48 Pine Street, Glen Hope, PA 16645. Casual dress is requested. David was most comfortable in denim.