A nice man who was quick with a smile, loved everything about the racing industry and greeted thousands of fans as Santa Anita's popular Paddock Captain, John Shear passed away Tuesday from natural causes at age 102 in a rehabilitation facility in Arcadia, according to a statement from the Shear family.
Beloved by the many fans with whom he came in contact, as well as by his fellow employees, jockeys and horsemen, Shear opted to retire while in good health at age 100 in July of 2021.
“John will be deeply missed by countless life-long friends here at Santa Anita,” said Nate Newby, Santa Anita Senior Vice President and General Manager. “We were honored to have him as part of the Santa Anita family for more than 60 years of dedicated service and we'll never forget him.”
Born Jan. 17, 1921 in England, Shear was raised in an orphanage from age four to 14. At four feet, 11 inches, Shear, who sustained a shoulder injury while serving in an anti-aircraft unit during World War II, originally aspired to be a jockey and following the war, he emigrated to Vancouver, B.C., from where he came to Santa Anita as an exercise boy in 1954.
“I was exercising horses for a guy in Vancouver and he asked me if I'd like to go with him to Santa Anita that fall,” said Shear on the occasion of his 99th birthday. “I said 'Sure,' and as soon as I stepped off that van in the stable area here, I said 'Lord, this is where I want to be.' The place was so incredibly beautiful and I've never gotten tired of it.”
Shear, who was an assistant trainer when he first began working in Santa Anita's parking lot in 1961, led an amazing life and remained fit thanks to a good diet, a consistent exercise regimen that included daily push-ups, walks and regular trips to Las Vegas with friends to play poker and laugh, had this very basic advice on the occasion of his retirement:
“Find something you love, stay positive and exercise!”
Although well known and liked for decades at both Santa Anita and at Hollywood Park, Shear earned national acclaim at age 90, when on March 12, 2011, he likely saved a 5-year-old girl from catastrophic injury or worse when he shielded her from a loose horse that bolted out of Santa Anita's Seabiscuit Walking Ring and headed back to his home in the stable area.
Although Shear was run over, sustaining multiple fractures, including a broken pelvis, as well as life-threatening internal bleeding, Roxy Key, who was accompanied by her father, escaped unscathed.
Young Roxy's mother would later refer to John Shear as her daughter's “guardian angel.” Roxy's father, Michael Key, said, “He didn't save a daughter, he saved a family.”
John Shear is survived by his wife, Diane and their son, Michael Shear, who said that at some point in the near future, the family would have a private ceremony in honor of his father.
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