"Attorney Frank Shiers, 79, dies"

"Frank Shiers, perhaps Kitsap County's most respected attorney, died Monday from injuries resulting from a fall last week. He was 79. He had practiced law in the county for more than half a century.Shiers, a staunch community activist, moved to Kitsap County in 1949 after graduating from the University of Washington Law School by way of the G.I. Bill. Shiers said he first scouted out the area while serving in the Navy, and discovered Bremerton bustled, while Port Orchard appeared slower-paced.That's where he and Ray Greenwood, a former partner who died some 37 years ago, originally set up shop on Bay Street, just above the Veterans of Foreign Wars' office. Greenwood hired the young Shiers, fresh out of law school for help.The firm is currently located on Kitsap Street. The years rolled by, and Shiers stayed put, while the firm produced three Kitsap County Superior Court judges.He was really a lover of the law, said William Kamps, a Kitsap Superior Court judge, who started working for Shiers in 1972, securing a partnership three years later. Kamps left 10 years ago to sit on the bench. The law was a significant part of his life. He'd put the law ahead of making money, and he always treated his clients well, seeing a case through to the end...He could be a tough negotiator for his client without offending anybody. In our county that is an important quality to have, and he had a reputation for getting along with everyone while doing a good job.In addition to operating a law firm for 51 years in Port Orchard, Shiers was president of the local Navy league chapter, exalted ruler of the Bremerton Elks, member of the Bremerton Civil Service Commission and president of the Kitsap County Bar Association.Shiers is preceded in death by his wife, Sylvia. He is survived by a son and daughter, Frank, Jr., of Redmond, and Jane Marie Bryce, of Kennewick."

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