Mr. Andrew P. Shea

Andrew Patrick Shea “Andy” passed away peacefully on the afternoon of his 78th birthday, the 19th of May 2010, after a short bout with pancreatic cancer. He was surrounded by family and had made his peace with God and man before his departure from this earth. He leaves six children and their families to celebrate his memory, and more friends than can be counted.

Andy enjoyed a happy childhood which instilled in him many of the values he observed throughout his life. He was born in 1932 to Constance and Andrew Bernard Shea in Riverdale, New York. The family lived in Lima, Peru for Andy’s early years, where his father was Vice President and General Manager of W.R. Grace & Company. In 1938, the family moved back to the US, settling in a gracious home in Kings Point, Long Island, as Andy’s father went on to become Executive Vice President and Director as well as President and CEO of Pan American Grace Airways (Panagra). Andy attended Cranwell Preparatory School in Lenox, Massachusetts and received his A.B. degree from Georgetown University. It was in Washington DC where he met the love of his life, Adrienne Link, a young belle attending nearby Mt. Vernon College. Andy and Adrienne married and moved to Texas in 1956, to be close to Adrienne’s Houston family. Children Andrew Patrick, Jr. (Patrick), Constance Marcita (Connie), and George Link (Big George) arrived in short order between 1956 and 1958. Sons Allen Thomas, Robert Johnston and John Link later joined the family, to be known hence forth as “the little boys.” Adrienne sadly died at age 42 and would not know the earthly pleasure Andy took in seeing his children grow into successful adults with wonderful families of their own.

In Houston, Andy dutifully entered the oil business with his father-in-law for several years before pursuing his passion as a stock broker. Andy began his career with Rauscher Pierce, and then co-opened a Houston office for Paine Webber in 1965, where he focused on institutional sales. In 1977 he helped open an institutional department for Shearson Hamill, which morphed into Smith Barney and more recently Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. Andy was still going to the office daily, treating the early risers to breakfast, until six weeks ago.

Try as he might to conform, Andy was a character and his presence will be felt in all our lives in a million little ways. He was a dapper yet conservative dresser, a stickler for etiquette (cloth napkins and china, please), and was not above a hyperbolic story or two. He opened his home to all and there were no boundaries to his generosity (not always a good thing). He loved watching the Sunday morning news shows, discussing the financial markets, going to Astros and Rockets games and entertaining around the bar. Andy liked his eggs sunny side up and could not wait to lay into a deli sandwich with a side of Nielsen’s potato salad after trips abroad. He was a wonderful host and cook, whose steaks and salad will never be beat. Holidays were the best of times with the traditional turkey smoking episode, too many presents and laborious decorations. If you are reading this, you have probably attended one of his July 4 lobster parties. We can still picture him poolside with a detective novel and tall glass of ice tea.

Andy leaves lots of DNA to carry on his quirks. He is survived by brothers Michael and Donald Shea of Houston and Long Island, and their wives Beth and Sally; brother-in-law John Wiley Link III of Houston; children: Patrick and Cynthia Shea (Austin), Connie Shea and Bill Bennett (San Rafael, CA), George Shea (Houston), Allen and Kay Shea (Katy), Robert and Eva Shea (Alexandria, VA) and John and Amy Shea (Philadelphia, PA); and grandchildren: Zachary, George, Austin, Adam, Adrienne, Anne, Cahalan, Hannah, Anna, Harrison, Mary, Peter, Krystal, Kaytlin and Jimmy. He also leaves to mourn his memory Annie Cater, his companion of over fifteen years.

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family from five o’clock in the afternoon until eight o’clock in the evening on Monday, the 24th of May, in the Parlor of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

The Mass of Christian Burial is to be conducted at ten o’clock in the morning on Tuesday, 25th of May, at St. Michael Catholic Church, 1801 Sage Road in Houston, where the Rev. Msgr. Frank H. Rossi, Pastor, is to serve as the celebrant.

The Rite of Committal and interment is to follow, via an escorted cortege, at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery in the Oak Hill section.

In lieu of customary remembrances, the family suggests with gratitude that memorial contributions be directed to the Arbor School (where Andy was an active board member), 1635 Blalock Rd., Houston, TX, 77080.