1925 – 2014
PERU — John R. Shea of Peru and Naples, Fla., quietly passed away Saturday, Dec. 20, with his wife and son by his side, just one week shy of his 89th birthday.
John was born in Rumford on Dec. 27, 1925, a son of Wilfred and Alma Shea, the eldest of eight siblings. John lived in the Rumford area his whole life. After serving in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, John attended and graduated from the University of Maine in Orono with a degree in chemistry.
Subsequent to a brief period of corporate employment in Connecticut, John returned to Rumford and opened his own business, an insurance and real estate agency.
John married Jessie A. MacFarlane in Rumford on May 16, 1959, where they raised two children, Rosemary and Matthew.
John enjoyed many hobbies; among them were golf, skiing and traveling. Retiring in 1985, John spent summers at Worthley Pond in Peru and winters in Naples, Fla. In Maine, John manicured a five-acre patch of white pine trees. He Loved those woods.
An accomplishment later in life, in 1991, John was instrumental in reviving the Worthley Pond Association, serving as its president. He was the primary writer of the newsletter for 15 years. John Shea had been a passionate advocate of maintaining excellent water quality at Worthley Pond in Peru for over two decades. On Saturday, June 21, John stood speechless before the annual meeting of the Congress of Lakes Association to receive its 2008 Exceptional Lake Steward Award.
He is survived by his wife, Jessie; two children, Rosemary of North Woodstock, N.H., and Matthew of Peru; and sisters, Mary of Sun City, Fla., Ann of Tampa, Fla., Helen of Tampa, Fla., and Rachael of Buzzards Bay, Mass.
He was predeceased by his parents, Wilfred and Alma; sister, Patty; and brothers, Michael and Jimmy.
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