Born in Ontario on 1 March 1865, son of Adam Shier (1816-1895) and Maria Conway (1927-1901), he came to Manitoba where he worked as a carpenter and building contractor. On 22 December 1891, he married Mary “Minnie” Shaw (1872-1945) and they had two sons: Wilbur Russell Shier (1896-1981) and Ivan Shier (1901-?). During the First World War, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force and served in Canada due to his advanced age. He was a member of the Masons (Union Lodge), Odd Fellows, and Canadian Order of Foresters. He died at his Winnipeg residence, 504 Sprague Street, on 11 July 1923 and was buried in the Brookside Cemetery.
Some of his construction work in Manitoba included:
Building
Location
Year
Status
167 Aikins Street, Winnipeg
1907
51-53 Derby Street, Winnipeg
1907
Demolished (?)
Birth registrations [Wilbur Russell Shier, Ivan Shier], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Death registrations [John Phillip Shier, Minnie Shier], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Obituary, Winnipeg Tribune, 13 July 1923, page 18.
Obituary, Manitoba Free Press, 16 July 1923, page 6.
Obituary [Wilbur Russell Shier], Winnipeg Free Press, 24 March 1981, page 54.
John Phillip Shier, ShierGenealogy.
Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 4 August 2025
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