John Damian Shea (12 Apr 1969 - 21 Aug 2017)

Miss you mate

love you daddy

Thinking about you John, as we do each and every day. Take care

we went to Paycocks to day and played croquet remember? We talked about you and missed to so much as we do everyday
lobe dad

For John, our son, who died 6 years ago today:

I have said your name in the still of the night
Seen you in the heartbeat of a butterfly wing
Sensed you in that chasm where you are and are not
And felt a touch, perhaps a breeze, perhaps not
And each day passes though time stood still
Clocks stopped

there are no words left anymore my son but I hope you have found the peace that you were always looking for rest easy

It's 5 years tomorrow John but we can still see you as clearly as ever. You were such a presence and now there's a big gap. We'll all be thinking of you. Take care my love and loads of love, Mxxxx

Another birthday coming up John. Still wishing you were here but it's now a weird, difficult world. With all the love in the world, Mum xx

We loved you every day, and now we miss you every day. It doesn't get any easier.

A donation in memory of John Shea

I have seen death too often to believe in death. It is not an ending but a withdrawal. As one who finishes a long journey stills the motor Turns off the lights, steps from his car And walks up the path to the home that awaits him.
Happy Birthday for Monday John, With all the love in the world, Mum & Dad xxxx

So many thoughts and memories and these poems kept coming to mind:
t will not last the night
but ah my foes and oh my friends
It gives a lovely light
++++++++

Safe upon the solid rock the ugly houses stand
Come and see my shining palace built upon the sand

How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;

Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you.
For an interval.
Somewhere. Very near.
Just around the corner.

All is well.

All is well.
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!

A POEM FOR DADDY

Heaven awaits you with a smile and a kiss
with love and a penniless wish.
Heaven will take your spirit but I will keep your heart and so you will live on.


To some you were a friend to some you were family
But to me you were a Father
At times you were unwell and I feared this day would come,
I wished that you would see me grow up.


I know you hate goodbyes
but here is one from me and all of us
to wish you on your way.
In life we loved you dearly in death we do the same.

Alice
x

Feel no guilt in laughter John knows how much you care.
Feel no sorrow in a smile that he is not here to share
You cannot grieve forever,he would not want you to
He'd hope that you would carry on the way you always do

So talk about the good times and the way you showed you cared
The days you spent together,all the happiness you shared.
Let memories surround you,a word someone may say
Will suddenly recapture a time,an hour,a day,
That brings him back as clearly as though he were still here
And fills you with the feeling that he is always near.
For if you keep those moments ,you will never be apart
And John will live forever locked safely in your heart.

Johnny Shea
(by Damian Dwan)

The John that I knew was the one from the 90’s
In Vegas where Bruno and Tyson were fighting
We drank and we sang with a Union Jack
Emblazoned with the words Spank the Yank Frank
The fight may have ended after only three rounds
But the memories for me are all of the sounds
Of a passionate crowd in support of their hero
And John proudly claiming “There’s only one Frank Bruno”

The John that I knew was the one from the 90’s
To France for the World Cup we travelled from blighty
We drank and we sang England’s footballing anthems
From the north to the south with reckless abandon
We travelled for hours to follow our team
Then rested by the pool of our villa in-between
10 glorious days spent with family and friends
Until Beckham got sent off and signalled the end
But I travelled back home with memories aplenty
Of John with a smile and a glass never empty


The John that I knew was the one from the 90’s
When the Gallagher brothers were still playing nicely
To Earls Court arena where Oasis would stand
At that time the self-professed World’s Greatest Band
We drank and we sang to the best one of all
Arm in arm with Johnny Shea “You’re my Wonderwall”
The John that I knew was the one found in Cheltenham
In March every year for a Gold Cup celebration
We sometimes had winners – but more often than not
We never actually saw them because we were lost
In a sea of great friends with stories and tales
Of nearly won jackpots and nights on the ale
We drank and we sang how we’d been a wild rover
Sore throats and lost voices when it was all over
Though memories fade – the one I remember the most
Is the year John arrived in that purple coat
Who knew what the designer Paul Smith was thinking
In deciding that purple was a colour worth linking
With an overcoat so long and extravagant and lush
It belonged on Huggy Bear in Starsky and Hutch
But John carried it off with a smile and a beer
And undeterred wore it to Cheltenham every year

The John that I knew is the one that would stand
Beside you whenever you needed a hand
The John that I knew was thoughtful and kind
And thankfully for Paul Smith - also colour-blind
A good friend knows all your best stories they say
But a best friend lived them with you – and so if I may
Be so bold as to claim that to me in the end
In the 90’s Johnny Shea – you were my best friend
The John that I knew is the one that I loved
As a mate and a colleague – and for all of the above
And so I finish with one favour to ask all of you
As his friends let’s remember the Johnny Shea we knew


Written on behalf of all John’s friends

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