Obituary of John Shea

John Joseph Shea, 93, of Holiday City, Berkeley Twp., NJ, passed away peacefully on February 19, 2014 at the Fountain View Care Center in Lakewood, NJ. John was born in Brooklyn, NY, on July 5, 1920, the 2nd oldest of 8 children of Cornelius and Emma Shea. John was a U.S. Army veteran (1942-1945) of World War II and was a police officer for the New York City Police Department for nearly 30 years, including serving as a mounted patrolman, retiring in 1972. On April 25, 1948, he married Virginia Mary Burns and they settled in Brooklyn, NY, first on Senator Street in Bay Ridge and later on East 59th Street in Flatlands, where they raised their children. John and Virginia moved to Holiday City in Toms river, NJ, in 1989 and they enjoyed traveling much of the world, often via cruise ship. John was also an avid baseball fan, particularly of his beloved Brooklyn Dodgers and then the New York Mets. John is predeceased by his wife of almost 65 years, Virginia (nee Burns), in 2013; his infant son, Robert Shea; his parents, Cornelius and Emma (nee Pineau) Shea; his brothers, Raymond, James, Edward, Peter and his sister, Mary. John is survived by his 5 children, John, Jr. (Marcia), of West Chester, PA, Kathie (Larry) Contello of Baldwinsville, NY, Steve (Nadine) Shea of Wesley Chapel, FL, Veronica Shea of Brooklyn, NY and Louise Shea (Tina Auriemma) of Long Valley, NJ; his brothers, Donald and Bill (Eileen), his sister, Peggy (Dom) Romano, 10 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, his brothers-in-law, Bill Burns and Robert Burns, his sister-in-law, Jean Marcel and more than 40 nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews.