John F. Shea Jr.
John F. Shea Jr., a longtime resident of Montauk, died at Southampton Hospital on Tuesday, November 1, after a long illness. He was 71.
Born in Brookline, Massachussets, on February 19, 1940, to John and Ella Shea (née Bryan), Mr. Shea attended Far Rockaway High School, Queens College and graduated from Resource Consumption Accounting Institute.
Mr. Shea worked for AT&T/Bell Labs from 1962 to 1994, and most recently as director of operations at Bellcore in New Jersey. After he retired, he was a guide for the Montauk Historical Society at the Montauk Lighthouse and also was a historical guide on the Montauk Trolley. For the last seven years, he worked for the East Hampton Department of Parks and Recreation, and worked most often at the West Lake tennis facility. Mr. Shea is known for his enthusiasm in establishing a place for the Montauk community to enjoy playing tennis. He worked tirelessly on the Har-Tru courts to get them up to safety standards, and once fell off a ladder and broke his arm trying to put up wind screens for the tennis courts.
Mr. Shea and his wife of 46 years, Pat Shea (née Carew), traveled throughout France earlier this year where they saw many statues and pictures of St. Therese of Lisieux, the patron saint of France, in every church and chapel they visited. Like St. Therese, Mr. Shea lived a quiet life of simplicity, family said. His sons will remember him as the loving father whose patience, tolerance and strength were characteristics to live by.
He is survived by his wife, Pat; children, Kevin John Shea of New Jersey, Brean Philip Shea and Colin Patrick Shea both of Staten Island; daughter-in-law, Deirdre Kilroy Shea; grandchildren, Justin, Ethan, Killian, Sarafina and Marina. He was predeceased by his sister Patricia Shea.
Interment was at Ft. Hill Cemetery in Montauk.
Mr. Shea’s family has set up a fund to contribute a bench to the hamlet of Montauk in his name.
on Nov 15, 2011