Stephen W. Shea passed away Sunday morning, November 25, 2018 at the Four Seasons Nursing Home in the company of his wife JoAnn and his nurse Tiara.  His whole family sang Christmas carols with him on Thanksgiving which he enjoyed immensely, and on Saturday afternoon he was surrounded by his family and family friend Kurt Eddy for the whole afternoon.

He was born in Port Chester, New York, December 8, 1938. After his mother's death in 1944, he was raised by his Aunt Mary and Uncle Len Gardener with his cousins Bob, Elly, and Liz, and then later by his Aunts Dorothy and Eleanor.  He served in the Army from 1961 to 1963 in the 502 ^nd Military Police Unit and worked for GM in both New York and Michigan for 35 years.

In New York, he often went fishing with his friend Lou Kaminski.  When he met his friend's daughter, he knew he would marry her.  He married JoAnn on March 11, 1972.  Together they had three children and lived in a house in Brewster, NY.  In 1978, they moved to Westland, Michigan where he continued to work as a buyer for General Motors.

Steve was kind, caring, calm, and soft spoken.  Very active in his community and with his church, he always helped anyone who needed it.  He was a Third Order Franciscan with St. Elizabeth Confraternity in Southfield Michigan and a member of the parish of St. Thomas the Apostle (formerly St. Raphael).  He frequently delivered communion to the homebound. He ran AA meetings at St. Raphael's for thirty years and at St. Mel's for about 15 years.  He also attended AA meetings at First Presbyterian Churches in Plymouth and Garden City.

He enjoyed lunch with friends, volunteering his time, joking with his wife, and spending time with his family.  He had a lifelong love of music and enjoyed writing poetry.

He will be missed by his loving wife of 47 years, JoAnn, his three children: Matthew (Vicki) Shea, Andrew (Polly) Shea, and Caitlin Shea, his four grandchildren: Stephen, Lillia, Joey, and Josh.  He will also be missed by his brothers-in-law Jan (Dottie) and Ed (Peggy) Kaminski of New York and Connecticut.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Harold and Rita Shea, his brother, Joseph Shea, and his Aunts, Dot and El.

In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate donations to AA of Greater Detroit or Parkinson's Foundation ( https://www.parkinson.org/ ) or Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation( https://www.jdrf.org ).