John F. Sheehan

John F. Sheehan BROCKTON John F. Sheehan, 91, of Brockton and West Yarmouth, a retired Brockton Firefighter and World War II veteran, died Friday, Nov. 28, 2008, at Brigham and Womens Hospital, after a brief illness. John was the beloved husband of Helen M. (Donovan) Sheehan. In May, joined by their family, they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. John lived most of his life in Brockton. Following high school, he lived and worked in New York in the retail business. He was also employed in numerous naval shipbuilding positions including building nuclear submarines at the Electric Boat Corporation in Groton Conn. and at the Charlestown Navy Yard until 1943, when he enlisted in the Navy. John was a World War II veteran. He served on the S.S. Robin Locksley and the USS Hooper Island in the Asiatic Pacific Theatre from 1943 to 1945. In 2004, he took great pride in traveling with his family to attend the World War II Memorial Dedication Ceremony in Washington, DC. While in the Navy, he was appointed to the Brockton Fire Department and served from 1945 until 1975. He also worked for 40 years at Owens Welding Service. Following his retirement, John worked at the Brockton Credit Union as building maintenance supervisor for 10 years. He was a member of Firefighters Local 144 and Brockton Firefighters Relief Association and proudly participated in the unveiling of the Brockton Firefighters Strand Theatre Memorial in May 2008. He was a member of VFW Post 697 of Whitman, the Irish Social Club of Boston as well as a former member of the Cardinal Spellman Parents Association. On Oct. 19, 2008, John and his wife were awarded the Sisters of Saint Joseph Medallion for their outstanding service to Cardinal Spellman High School. John enjoyed traveling, especially to Ireland, to visit with relatives. Over the years, he visited Alaska, Hawaii, California, Seattle, Vancouver, Bermuda, Rome and enjoyed many Caribbean cruises. He was a communicant of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Brockton and St. Pius Tenth Church in South Yarmouth. In addition to his wife, John is survived by one son and four daughters. He was a loving and devoted father to Claire M. of Brockton, William J. and his wife Nancy J. Cardillo of Acton, Rosemary of Watertown, Janet and her husband George Drummey of Framingham and Margaret of Watertown. He leaves four grandchildren, Michael Drummey of New York City and Elizabeth Drummey of Framingham, Samuel Sheehan of Acton and Svetlana Sheehan of Watertown. John also leaves his sister, Margaret Cunnane of Easton. He was a son of the late Edward D. and Celia (Cruise) Sheehan from Ireland; brother of the late Terrance, Edward and James Sheehan, Mary McNamara and Cecelia Clark; and brother-in-law of Virginia (Permuto) Sheehan of Pennsylvania and Margaret (Kelleher) Sheehan of Canton. He also leaves many Donovan in-laws and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Funeral from the Conley Funeral Home, 138 Belmont St. (Rte. 123), Brockton, Thursday, at 9:30 a.m. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Our Lady of Lourdes Church at 10:30 a.m. Burial in Calvary Cemetery. Visiting hours are Tuesday, Dec. 2, 7-9 p.m. and Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Donations in Johns memory may be made to the Donovan Family Scholarship Fund, c/o Cardinal Spellman High School, 738 Court St., Brockton, MA 02302 or a charity of your choice. For condolences or directions, www.conleyfuneralhome.com.