William Stephen Shea, formerly of Wyomissing, PA and Baltimore, MD, passed away in Alpharetta, GA on February 3rd, 2024. He was preceded by his wife of 59 years, Carol Elaine (Dease) Shea, who passed away in March 2020. William (Bill) was born to Captain John Stephen and Margaret Simmons Shea in Brooklyn, NY on March 13, 1934. After graduation from Xavier High School in 1951 and the Virginia Military Institute in 1955, he served for 20 years as an officer of Marines, to include combat service in the Vietnam Conflict. He retired from active military service as a Major in 1975.
Bill then served as a municipal manager for Cumru Township, PA, from 1975 - 2000. During this time, he served as a Scoutmaster for two separate Boy Scout troops (Troop 445, West Reading, PA, and Troop 346, Reading, PA), and coached the Sacred Heart parish CYO baseball team for a number of years.
Bill and Carol retired to Baltimore, MD in 2000, where they were active for many years in a wide range of volunteer activities, including the American Red Cross, the Marine Corps League, the Franciscan Center, and Our Daily Bread (a local soup kitchen). Bill and Carol moved to a retirement community in the Alpharetta area in 2019.
Bill is survived by his brother, John Shea and his wife Margaret of Yarmouthport, MA; he was preceded in death by his sister, Cynthia Mease.
Bill and Carol are survived by six sons and daughters and their families: Stephen, his wife Molly, and their adult children Patrick, Eileen and William; Joe, his wife Patty, and their adult children Allie, Ryan, his wife Fiona, and Aidan; Michael, his wife Julia and their sons Carlos and Matthew; Janet Shea, her partner Stacy Dorian and daughter Liza; Peter, with his wife Ellen and their children Annie and Mary; and Jennifer Shea, with her husband Nathan Phillips and their children Rosalind and Alexander.
A viewing will be held at Northside Chapel Funeral Home in Roswell, GA from 4 to 6 p.m. on 20 Feb 2024. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in Alpharetta GA on at 10 a.m. 21 Feb, followed by interment at 1:00 p.m. at the Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, GA.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Marine Corps League, https://www.mcleaguelibrary.org/ , or the American Red Cross, at https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation.html/