Paul Francis Shea, 80, of Mattapoisett passed away at home Sunday, November 22, 2020 with his beloved wife and caregiver "Al", and her son, Lee by his side. He was the beloved husband of Alanna "Ally" (Medeiros) Carreiro.
Born in Boston, son of the late John T. and Dorothy J. (O'Rourke) Shea, he was originally from O'Callaghan Way in South Boston at the Old Harbor Village and had lived in Mattapoisett for over 30 years. Even though he lived in Mattapoisett at the end of his life, you could not take the Boston out of him.
Paul graduated from Gate of Heaven High School in South Boston in 1958. From there, he enlisted in the Army in October 1958 and received an honorable discharge in January 1962. He would say what he loved most about serving is all the beautiful places and cultures he got to experience at such a young age. During that time, he was a lineman and when he got out of the service, he worked for New England Telephone. That is how he developed his passion for phones and he had quite a collection. He was most proud of the telephone booth in his home.
He and his Boston crew were the second generation "FACOWEES." They had a couple of cottages down the Cape, Old Lady Mac's and the Estate where they spent their summers for many years partying and "falling in love." Paul always said that was the best time of his life!
In 1971, he got his dream job at the Massachusetts State House as an Assistant Chief Court Officer in the General Court of the Massachusetts State Senate. That job was tailor made for him because he had the gift of gab and enjoyed meeting new people. He worked there until his retirement in 2003. He spoke with great fondness of his time there and always had a plethora of stories to tell.
Paul would talk about his younger years as a lifeguard at Wollaston Beach and Memorial Park Beach. He spoke with great pride about how he and William "Billy" Bulger were lifeguards together and then in their adult life, they worked at the Massachusetts State House. He especially enjoyed swimming at the quarry with his friends. Later in life when he was an adult, he went back there to reminisce and thought "what the heck were we thinking?!" Yes, I know Paul would not have said it quite that way, but I wanted to keep it G rated in order to get this printed. The great thing about Paul was his kindness and generosity. He loved people to come to his home, always offered a tonic or beer and bring them on a tour to his "secret rooms." Those rooms meant the world to him and he took pleasure in sharing what he knew about them. He had a wealth of knowledge in politics and history and could be very engaging. As his friends and family know, he enjoyed his news, TIME magazine, The Boston Globe, ice cream, "All in the Family", time in the gazebo with Al, being with family and friends and anything CHOCOLATE. But what Paul will be best remembered for is his hatred of onions!!
Paul was very good friends with the late John Engel, Jr. and the late Fred Brownell. His friend, John Schmid would take him for breakfast every Monday in the last year of his life and Paul enjoyed that. He had a very close bond and friendship with his brother, the late Jack Shea. Paul will be truly missed by his best friends, Carl Elledge and his father-in-law, Roy Medeiros. Paul would have wanted to thank Tony Vento for all the great haircuts he gave him over the years. Also, Paul will be dearly missed by his beloved dog, Mikayla, who has been his favorite girl for 3 1/2 years. She was right by his side until the end.
He is survived and will be dearly missed by his wife Al; his sister, Dorothy Davis and her husband, Peter of Quincy; his sister-in-law, Joanne Shea of Scituate; Alanna’s children, Jessica Carreiro and Lee DeTerra; his ex-wife, Linda Brownell of Mattapoisett; and many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews.
He was predeceased by his siblings, Thomas A. Shea, Richard J. Shea, Maureen A. Shea and John T. "Jack" Shea.
His wife would like to thank the caring staff at Community Nurse Home Care in Fairhaven who made Paul comfortable in his final days and Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals in Mattapoisett for their compassion during this difficult time.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Paul’s memory can be made to either Community Nurse Home Care, P.O. Box 751, Fairhaven, MA 02719, Community Connections Inc., 38 Church Avenue, Wareham, MA 02571, or Alzheimer's Association, 309 Waverley Oaks Road, Waltham, MA 02452.
A Memorial Visitation will be held Saturday, December 12, 2020 from 11 AM - 2 PM in the Saunders-Dwyer Home for Funerals, 50 County Rd. (Rt. 6), Mattapoisett. For directions and guestbook, visit www.saundersdwyer.com.