Chief Shea's Eulogy

There are times in everyone’s life when they have to face hard times. Times where we reflect on people and things that have had a significant influence and impact on our lives. Sadly, today is one of those times.

Today we gather together to celebrate the life of Kevin Michael Shea. Kevin was truly a good man. He was a role model for all. A man that lived life to its fullest. A man who worked and played hard, but only after he was sure that everyone else was taken care of. He was something to everyone. To Kathy, a devoted, loving husband and friend. To Kelly, a dedicated, loving father. To Jim and Brian a brother and friend. To every member of Elsmere Fire Co. A, a leader, mentor, teacher, brother and friend. To children, a teacher and a friend. To countless people he worked with as a Code Enforcement Officer, a pleasure to work with and a friend. The key here is that Kevin was a friend. A friend to anyone and everyone. Sean Egan, a life long friend summed this up by saying: “As a friend, Kevin’s friendship was binding, his loyalty unwavering and his understanding unconditional.”

Kevin was a man that embraced everything he did or was a part of with a passion known to only a few. He took great pride in his family, his friends, his firefighters and his work.

When asked “Who was Kevin Shea?” The responses you would hear would be: He was the core of the core. The core of his family, Elsmere Fire Co. A, and his community. He was a constant for many of us. His presence made you feel secure. If something was wrong you knew it would be OK once Kevin got there. He was a best friend and confidant to all, leaving anyone he talked with in higher spirits. Kevin focused on the positive things, the good things. We looked up to Kevin and we respected him. He respected you and he showed it. He gave the same level of respect to everybody regardless of who they were or if your opinions differed from his. He made time for everyone and would always make sure that he greeted you personally and made you feel welcome and a part of whatever event was going on. Kevin was always the first person there for anyone who needed help.

Kevin and his brothers grew up in a firefighting family. Their Father, Jim and their Mother, Rose were both very active members of Elsmere Fire Co. A. The boys all participated in parades and family functions at the station. Kevin’s brothers and friends remember Kevin waiting for his parents to go out. Then he would throw a ladder, grab a garden hose and battle the dragon. Kevin was a progressive Fire Chief. He always brought forth new ideas and concepts to his beloved fire company. He served on many town, county and state association committees and was instrumental in laying the ground work for hazardous materials response in Albany County and worked on the Governor’s Task force to bring 911 to Albany County. Most importantly he cared for his firefighters, he loved them and protected them.

Kevin’s unrelenting devotion and passion for helping others and doing things the right way carried over into his profession as the Head Code Enforcement Officer for the Town of Bethlehem. He made sure that the jobs were done by the book, but instead of just making someone follow the process, he helped them work through the process. Again, Kevin just wanted to help people. He was active locally and across the state serving as an officer in several professional organizations and was instrumental in recodifying the NYS Building Codes.

Kevin was also an active fun loving person with many interests:

In addition to the fire service, code enforcement and the two ladies in his life, Kevin had many other loves. He loved to cook. He was the Chief Cook and Bottle Washer for Elsmere and he would often take his skills on the road to other local departments for special events. His brothers, Jim and Brian would call for help with recipes and while Kevin wanted to help them out, he usually couldn’t because he always cooked for a few hundred instead just a few and couldn’t adjust the proportions. He was a sun worshipper and always had a serious tan. Kelly would laugh at him when he would lotion up with Hawaiian Tropic, set out a lounge chair and then lay out on a comforter just to sweat. He loved to run with The Wanderer’s, Elsmere’s Racing Drill Team. He loved hockey, football, NASCAR and camping. He was an avid River Rats, NY Giants and Bill Elliott fan. His most recent involvement was his association with the Sons of the Legion.

Back in High School, Kevin was a Defensive End for Bethlehem Central High School. In 1968, his senior year, Bethlehem went undefeated and he was named a County Metro Area All Star Team player. Ironically, the only other year that Bethlehem has gone undefeated was 2002 when Kelly, in her senior year was a Bethlehem Central Cheer Leader.

Kevin was not without his quirks or shortcomings and as with everything else in his life, he had as much fun as we did with them. He was always willing and usually the first to acknowledge them. Many times he laughed harder at himself than we did.

Kevin had a real handle on the English language and a way with words. He was creative with both his pronunciation and definitions of many words. He created his own language technique. We call it “Sheabonics.” For an example: It would be ill-responsible for me to elaborate further.

Kevin had the ability to fall asleep anywhere, anytime and in any position. On many of these occasions his friends took the opportunity to decorate him.

If you needed to get a hold of Kevin during the day, the one sure bet was to catch him at 38 Brookman Ave. between 12:30 and 1:30 PM where he could be found intently watching his favorite soap opera.

Kevin also took his sports news very seriously, but this too was different. Kevin didn’t read the sports page. He listened to it. If you asked him a question about sports he would tell you that the sports page told me….

Kevin rarely became frustrated to the point that he felt the need to take action. And while you never wanted to be on the receiving end of it when it happened, you wanted to be there because it was quite entertaining to watch.

The folks at Elsmere also knew him as a mother figure and as Chief of the Fun Police. He would always step in to call an end to the fun before it got too far out of hand. Not that he didn’t occasionally get out of hand himself, but that’s another story….

We could go on all day and then some about Kevin Shea, but he wouldn’t want that. Kevin didn’t care about himself. He cared about everyone else. A true measure of greatness is leaving the world a better place when you leave. Kevin did just that. We are all better people for having had the honor, privilege and good fortune of being a part of Kevin’s life. We are eternally grateful to God for giving Kevin to us even though it was only for a short while and we thank Kathy and Kelly for sharing him with us.

Right know we are all grieving. We feel the pain and the hurt. We feel alone and vulnerable. It is OK for us to feel all of this, but to truly honor Kevin, we should do what he would do. We have to take care of Kathy and Kelly. We have to take care of our families. We have to take care of our communities. We have to take care of the brothers. That’s what he would be doing. The loss of Kevin creates a huge void which cannot be filled by one person alone. We all must come together and work as one to continue Kevin’s unfinished work.

Kevin, you were Kelly’s daddy and a father to many. You were Kathy’s hero. You were our hero. Rest now until we meet again. We love you.

Written & Read by W. Eck
January 29, 2004

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