Local Realtors said it will be difficult carrying on in their profession without the presence of legendary colleague Ed Shields, who was killed in a car crash Thursday.

Shields, 86, died in a two-vehicle accident late Thursday afternoon at the intersection of Route 8 and East Airport Road in Penn Township.

“He left the office about 15 minutes after I did and never returned,” said Tom Laskey, who worked with Shields for more than 40 years at Ed Shields Realtor, located just 1,000 feet from the accident scene.

Laskey said Shields grew up in real estate, as his late father, Carl E. Shields, had an agency for many years.

“Ed was the master of real estate,” Laskey said. “He knew more about real estate than anybody in the business, and he knew real estate law better than any broker ever.”

He said while Shields loved golf and spending time with his family, he spent six days each week at the office.

“Real estate was his life,” Laskey said.

Laskey is reeling from the loss of his colleague and friend. “I’m in sort of a fog today,” he said.

“Ed was a good friend,” Laskey said. “I could trust whatever he said.”

Ken Thomas, of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Butler, had known Shields for more than a half-century.

“He and I would always communicate and talk about the latest issues in the real estate industry,” Thomas said. “He was a wealth of knowledge.”

He said Shields attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

“He was extremely intelligent and well-educated,” Thomas said. “You could always rely on him.”

Thomas said in addition to his family and friends, Shields will be deeply missed in real estate circles.

“He was constantly looking out for the well-being of the real estate industry,” Thomas said. “You couldn’t ask for a better competitor. It’s quite a loss.”

Lorraine DiDomenico, also of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Butler, has known Shields since she started her career in real estate many years ago.

She said Shields was very active with and supportive of the county Association of Realtors and sat on the board of directors at the time of his death.

She woke up Friday morning to learn that Shields was gone.

“I was just heartbroken to hear that,” DiDomenico said. “He’s like a legend in his time. We’ve lost three legends recently: John Capers, Ron West and now Ed.

“They were the leaders, the people we all looked up to and who tried to guide us when we started.”

DiDomenico said Shields had his own unique way of working in real estate that was based on his deep knowledge of the industry.

“Even though he had older ideas, he always listened to younger people,” she said.

If he noticed a mistake, she said, the Realtor who made that mistake could always expect a call from Shields.

“He was so dedicated,” DiDomenico said. “He was like our risk-reduction police.”

Marilyn Stahl, of the Hutterer & Stahl Team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Saxonburg, was devastated Friday morning to learn her friend of 42 years had died.

“He was always very cheerful and very helpful,” Stahl said. “I admired him for his years of service.”

She said he was always willing to explain anything to new Realtors, and like DiDomenico, she recalled him contacting Realtors when they’d made a mistake.

“He was kind of like the policeman,” Stahl said, “but he was always very pleasant. I liked working with him.”

She struggled to come to grips with the sudden loss.

“What a tragedy,” Stahl said. “It makes us all sad, but he was a good Christian man and now he is in heaven.”