Dr. John J. (Jack) Shea, 85, of Ashland passed away on October 8th after a period of declining health. Born in Lenox, MA; he was the son of the late James and Elizabeth (Hogerty) Shea. He was the husband of the late Irene (Skubel) Shea for 45 years.

In addition to his wife, he is pre-deceased by one sister, Elizabeth Kelly of Pittsfield, MA, his three brothers, James of Bellingham, WA, Paul of Centerville, MA and Thomas of Evansville, IL. Jack is survived by his two children Kathryn and her husband Kevin and Daniel and his wife Amy, all from Ashland. Jack is also survived by his granddaughter Sydney of Washington, DC. Jack also had many nieces and nephews whom he kept in touch with and was very proud of.

Jack was born and raised in Berkshire County. He is a proud graduate of St. Joseph's High School in Pittsfield, MA. He attended North Adams State College from 1950-52. Jack then enlisted in the United Stated Air Force and served his country honorably in the Korean War. Upon his return, he graduated with honors with a bachelor's degree from American International College in 1960. Jack then was the recipient of the Fels Fellowship in State and Local Government at the Warton School, University of Pennsylvania. Jack was then elected to Sigma Xi, a National scientific research honor society and awarded the University Teaching Fellowship while completing his doctoral studies in Psychology and Counseling at the University of Massachusetts, where he became a teaching Fellow.

Jack spent his lifetime helping drug and alcohol patients. He spent many hours on the phone finding halfway houses for his patients to live in. Sometimes he brought people into his own home until they could be relocated. Jack was also a great fan of Boston sports teams. But his favorite team was the Red Sox. As a kid Jack made many trips down Route 9 with his family to watch his favorite players Ted Williams and Bobby Doerr play. Jack never wavered his loyalty to the Red Sox. Jack predicted the Sox comeback against the Yankees in 2004 when they were trailing three games to none in the post season. Jack also loved to take trips with his beloved wife Irene. They loved their trips to Maine, where Jack knew all the good spots to have fun.

A funeral service will be held Friday at 12:00 PM in the Chapel of the Matarese Funeral Home, 325 Main St. Ashland, MA. One calling hour will be held Friday from 10:30-11:30am prior to the service.