James D. Shea

James D. Shea, 67, of Manchester, died February 13, 2016 at his home after a yearlong battle with cancer.
He was born in Manchester on April 9, 1948 to James and Barbara (Foley) Shea Jr. He graduated from Central High School in 1966 and attended Keene State College and St. Anselm College. He was a lifelong resident of Manchester.
James worked in central office equipment installation with Verizon for 33 years. During that time he volunteered to work at Ground Zero in New York City after the 9/11 attacks.
He enjoyed woodworking and fishing and loved dogs. He coached football and baseball, starting with his sons in Little League through American Legion. He also enjoyed traveling the world with his wife, Monique, and had motorcycled through every state in the US.
James was sober for 31 years and was a power of example for many recovering alcoholics. He will be remembered as a person who was giving, generous, dedicated, loving, loyal, quick-witted and spirited.
The family includes his wife of 43 years, Monique (Desfosses) Shea of Manchester; two sons, Brian Shea and wife, Amy, of Chelmsford, MA and Kevin Shea of Manchester; two grandchildren, Kristen and Owen Shea of Chelmsford, MA; three siblings, John Shea and wife, Jolanta, of Littleton and Kathleen Shea and Jennifer Silva both of Manchester; a sister in law, Claudia Desfosses of San Francisco, CA; nieces and nephews, Eileen Shea of Littleton, Kayla Silva of Manchester and Nolan Shea of Texas.
He was predeceased by a sister, Maureen Shea and a nephew, Andrew Matsinger.
The family would like to thank the staff of VNA Hospice and the many wonderful neighbors and friends who helped care for James during his illness.
A funeral ceremony was held on Saturday, February 20, 2016 at Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory, 1799 Elm St., Manchester.
Memorial donations may be made to the Manchester Animal Shelter, 490 Dunbarton Rd., Manchester, NH 03102.