"Dirt poor" is how Harry Shedd describes his childhood - literally. He grew up in Phoenix, Arizona during the Depression in a one room house with a dirt floor. His mom worked two jobs to support him, an original latchkey kid. Claradell (Gergely) Shedd grew up in similar poverty, though in Iowa. Orphaned at the age of six by a tornado which claimed the lives of both parents, Claradell and her two siblings were shuffled among relatives and acquaintances (including life "on the farm") until they were taken in by friends of their late parents who lived in Des Moines, Iowa. Claradell recalls the years of making her clothes from feed sacks and the hardship and inconvenience of no running water, plumbing, or electricity. She lived in an era of rationed shoes, rationed sugar, and rationed automobile tires. "We had access to a car, but we also had a horse and buggy!"

Tough times create determined spirits

The adversities of Harry and Claradell's youth created a tenacity of mind and spirit that shaped their lives, careers and relationship with each other and the community at large.

"When we first met," Claradell says, "We had no one but one another." As a result, the Shedds have made it their lives' mission to help others who have also dealt with instability in their lives, from teens to seniors.

Harry met Claradell on January 20, 1957 in Washington, D.C., while a West Point cadet there to march in Eisenhower's Second Inaugural Parade. Claradell was then in the Foreign Service in Washington D.C., awaiting assignment to San Paulo, Brazil. Through mutual acquaintances, the two ended up at a dance hall - really the basement of military housing quarters. Claradell didn't even dance with Harry, but with another cadet. She and her partner skirted washing machines and other basement "furniture" while Harry lounged on a couch. "One California dip gone south and Claradell was in my lap," recalls Harry - a happy misstep that was the beginning of more than sixty-five years of marriage and companionship.

With total assets of $50.00, Harry and Claradell wed at West Point the day after Harry's graduation in June,1958. During the early years, they moved frequently due to Harry's military status, spending time in Oklahoma, Texas and Georgia and traveling the world. (Claradell worked two full-time jobs for over a year to provide a European vacation.) When Harry was discharged as a first lieutenant, the couple was living in Orange, CA. He "retrained" himself as a stockbroker, and in 1962, began specializing in life and health insurance with Allstate Insurance Companies. He remained with Allstate for 37 years, receiving numerous awards of achievement and rising through the ranks of management.

Claradell also had a successful professional career, serving as special assistant to several high-profile executives, including the CEO of Carl's Jr. Restaurants. In 1966, when Allstate transferred Harry to Seattle, Claradell joined Boeing and worked for 33 years as the assistant to seven vice presidents as well as the president of Boeing Aerospace. Claradell fondly remembers that exciting time of invention and ingenuity, especially when she was the personal assistant to the chief engineer of the 737 and the creator of the Long-Range Cruise Missile (ALCM).

After relocating to Washington, they first lived in Bellevue before moving to Sammamish. A high school buddy of Harry's was the golf pro at the Sahalee Country Club and introduced the Shedds to the Sammamish Plateau. The idea of a golf course for a backyard appealed to the couple, particularly Harry who had golfed and caddied his way through high school and college. (Harry's memorable victory was an Army win over Navy after Harry, the last out on the course, was 7 down on the frontside and won every hole on the backside to win 2 Up. Army beat Navy!) The Shedds bought a "fixer upper" in the Sahalee neighborhood and have lived there for the past thirty-nine years, much to the benefit of the community. Over the years, the Shedds have made themselves somewhat indispensable to the Sahalee Country Club operations since the late 1970's. For years they were the official volunteer scorers of tournaments and, in the absence of local commercial lodging, they hosted countless collegiate, amateur and professional golf athletes, becoming mentors to many. The care and interest the Shedds took in their athlete lodgers earned them the reputation for being "a most coveted host family in the community." The Shedds have also sponsored immigrants and refugees, personally housing two families (totaling six) from Chernobyl for over a year.

Above and Beyond Hospitality and Christmas Cheer!

Golf related: "It was exciting and so much fun," Claradell recalls; "We housed the Arizona girls for over ten years of tournaments. For several years, we had the entire Pepperdine team (5); including two years when they were the number one team in the nation. We took care of them, serving them breakfast by candlelight!" The Shedds even went so far as to sponsor one of the women athletes during her qualification run for the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) with Harry serving as her manager for the first year while she lived with them in Sahalee.

The Shedds are not ones for half measures. In fact, full measure is often just a milestone on the way to above and beyond when it comes to Harry and Claradell's contributions consistently expressed in their Christian counseling and activities. Take their renown holiday miniature Christmas Village tours, which began in 1995. Most people bring out a few ceramic and porcelain miniature decorations for the holidays. The Shedds, however, turned their collection of Department 56 miniatures (which grew exponentially over the years) into a three-dimensional, multi-sensory experience that encompassed seven rooms and three floors of their home. Claradell utilized her talents to embellish the scenery around the villages with personalized sandwich boards, music, decorative quilts and fabrics, needlepoints and elaborately wrapped diminutive gift boxes, while Harry provided supporting structures and lighting. What began as a gift to their Sammamish community became so famous that the Shedds conducted annual holiday tours for over twelve years, regularly hosting as many as 500 visitors a season. (Largest group was two chartered buses at the same time!) The tours have come to an end, but the Shedds still have a Christmas tree up year-round and a life-sized nutcracker image greets visitors at the front door.

"Attitude, more than age, determines energy." ~ Harry and Claradell Shedd

Undeniably artistic, Claradell's talents and abilities expand beyond the creative. Both the Shedds are life-long learners. Harry earned designations of LUTC (Life Underwriting Training Council), HIAA (Health Insurance Association of America), his FLMI (Fellow Life Management Institute), and his CLU (Certified Life Underwriter) in his 30s, studying for his business MBA in his 40s, along the way graduating from the New York School of Finance to gain his brokerage certification, and Claradell jumped on the technology wave at the age of 65+. As a coed for the second time around, in 2002, she graduated Magna Cum Laude with a degree in graphic design. For 21 years she has created personally-hosted nonprofit websites (44) with over 6,000,000 hits annually, carving out an award-winning niche for herself in the development of high school and university class reunion and archival sites, and becoming an expert in genealogy and ancestry research along the way. She has traced her family heritage back to 1615 and Harry's back to 1030. Claradell's family tree now embraces over 42,400 people. Claradell maintains seven different trees in ancestry.com.

Harry ended up taking a few computer courses himself, just so he could carry on a conversation with his wife, "I couldn't understand what she was talking about," Harry grumbled with a smile. Back to school…Then, he began sharing his new-found technical knowledge with other seniors in the community facing similar learning curve challenges, volunteering and instructing at SeniorNet for over ten years.

The Shedds show no signs of slowing down or falling behind the times. Harry and Claradell have wired their home with their personal servers; they converse daily with their Echo and Ring devices and have multiple drones. "We live as normal Sammamish citizens with watches, phones, tablets, CPUs, laptops, fax, and a protection system networked and synchronized, accessible from anywhere." Harry and Claradell are devoted to the Sammamish community, working tirelessly to preserve its historic heritage and beauty and ensuring its civic and cultural viability for the community.

"Life is a gift. The way you live your life is your gift to those who come after." ~ Harry and Claradell Shedd

2 Timothy 1:6: "Stir up the gift within you." If you want to walk out God's plan for your life, it's time to stir up that gift within you for His glory!

The Shedd's influence is imprinted throughout the community.

Harry and Claradell have been instrumental contributors to numerous organizations:

- The Boys and Girls Club of Sammamish: Providing financial support as well as teen mentorship. Introduction of the Teen Garden Project, etc.
- The Sammamish Heritage Society: Working to preserve local historic buildings.
- Citizens for Sammamish: They are original members, and Harry chairs this grassroots forum for local citizen concerns. www.citizensforsammamish.com (presently in updating mode)
- Washington State: Harry and Claradell spent over eight years as volunteer ombudsmen advocating for the rights of the elderly in long-term care facilities. Harry initiated the introduction and eventual adoption of the Right of Initiative and Referendum for Sammamish, adopted by citizen advisory vote in 2015.
- Harry: Sammi Circle of Service Award; 2013
- The Sammamish Arts Commission: Claradell coordinated the design and installation of local art in Sammamish roundabouts and is currently programming introduction and design of 34 artistic wraps for the Sammamish utility boxes. Visit this webpage: https://www.sammamish.us/media/oh4oaaob/sammamish-traffic-wraps-claradell-shedd-2021.pdf

  President's Volunteer Award in 2012, 2013, 2015. President Donald J. Trump's Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award; 2018.
- Sammamish Volunteer of the Year Award; 2018
- Two years at Chamber of Commerce "Info" Booth at the Sammamish Farmers' Market
- Nourishing Network Group: Focused on meeting needs of Sammamish citizens
- Encourage all toward sports participation. Harry golfs (golfed). Claradell won city and state (IA) titles in tennis and figure skating. They skied.
- Claradell: 2005: Inducted into her North Des Moines (IA) High School Hall of Fame
- Sammamish Symphony and the Performing Arts.
- For twelve years, conducted personal garden tour, sharing over 200 blue-ribbon rose bushes.
- For twelve years, conducted Department 56 Miniature Village Holiday Tours in our home for the Sahalee and Sammamish community. These tours accommodated over 500 guests and visitors per year to our home during the holidays. website: http://www.sheddvillages.com

- 2016: Harry and Claradell: Hometown Heroes Award to recognize exceptional citizens in the local community who have impacted and inspired others.
- 2020: Community Service Award to Harry and Claradell Shedd "showing that age has no boundary."
- 2020: Claradell: Extra Mile America award (national award to recognize attitude, word, and action).
- 2020: Inspire Positive Aging Award to recognize "leading a life that exemplifies how to age with grace, enthusiasm, creativity, hope, and energy. "
- Harry and Claradell are looking forward to becoming active students at Central Washington's Sammamish Campus.

Share Shedds' interests and passions on their home page: www.hshedd.com. These include Claradell's award-winning quilts (150): http://www.hshedd.com/quilts/index.html and her personalized gift wrapping examples: http://www.hshedd.com/gift%20wrapping/index.html, as well as an online guided tour of Shedd Villages at www.sheddvillages.com


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