James J. Shear

James J. Shear, age 85, of Cambria-Lockport Townline Road, Cambria, NY, died Sunday, December 17th, 2023, in Niagara Hospice. Mr. Shear was born June 6th, 1938, in Niagara Falls, NY, the son of the late Richard I. and Charlotte E. (Rosinski) Shear. He spent his childhood in Lewiston, near the Niagara Gorge, before moving with his family to Youngstown in his later childhood. He was a graduate of Lewiston-Porter High School, and later, SUNY Morrisville. He married Margaret “Peggy” Louise Tower on July 9th, 1960. As a young couple, they lived briefly in an apartment in Buffalo, NY, but Mr. Shear missed the countryside and so they moved back to the outskirts of Youngstown, where he lived most of his life, together with his wife Peggy.

As a young man, Mr. Shear enjoyed hunting and fishing. He rode a BMW motorcycle and loved flying his Cherokee 180 airplane. In the late 1970s, he and his wife bought a 100-acre plot of land. There, he and Peggy built a log home and small farmstead, raising at various times horses, beef cattle, pigs, turkeys, geese and three daughters. He was a mechanical wizard and could repair just about anything, including broken down farm equipment he bought at auction. He built an airstrip on the farm and registered Shear Airport with the Federal Aviation Administration. He would often take small excursions with his wife and kids, flying out for breakfast or touring the countryside from the air. He and Peggy enjoyed a second home, on a small airstrip in Lutz Florida, in later years, where he could park his Cherokee right in the garage. He was a crane operator for the Niagara Power Project and had a long career as a Machine Repairman at Harrison Radiator.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret “Peggy” (Tower) Shear; three daughters: Michele (Jim) Vaughn of Weeki Wachee, FL; Robin (Duncan) Ross of Cambria, NY; Julianne (Tommy) Webb of Atascosa TX ; a sister, Betty Lou Camardella of Grand Island; ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren and a sister-in-law Evelyn Shear. Jim is predeceased by his brother Richard Shear.

Calling hours will be held on Wednesday from 3-7 PM. at the HARDSION FUNERAL HOMES INC. 3648 Ransomville Rd. Ransomville, NY 14131.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Thursday at 11:00 AM. in St. Bernards RC Church Second St. and Hinman Youngstown, NY 14174 ( Please assemble at the church)

Memorial donations may be made to Niagara Hospice, Cambria Vol. Fire Co., or the Alzheimer’s association of WNY.

Please visit www.hardisonfuneralhomes.com