Raymond Russell Shea

Rev. Raymond Shea navigated his life with a sense of humor and a genuine desire to help others. Raymond, also known as Ray to family and friends, was born April 22, 1936 in Providence, Rhode Island. He was raised in Newport, Rhode Island, and growing up, he loved to walk everywhere he could in town. His Grandmother, an immigrant from the Azores, was a big influence on his early life and he was raised on traditional Portuguese food and the music of Amalia Rodrigues. He became fluent in Portuguese as a child and studied the classical and romance languages (Greek, Latin, and Spanish) in high school and college.

Raymond had a strong interest in languages, history, and other cultures and was an avid reader with a vast library of books that grew throughout his life. In 1969, he earned a B.A. in English at the University of Hartford and in 1975 he received a Master’s degree in Secondary Education, all while raising a family with his wife, Margaret Hirning Shea.

Raymond lived with his family in Connecticut during the 1970s working as an English teacher specializing in English as a Second Language. He worked in both the public schools and as an adult education instructor for the Hartford Board of Education. He founded and taught an adult education program for the Hartford Portuguese-speaking community and taught adult education at the University of Hartford for Brazilian students.

In 1980, he went to work for Political Research, Inc. where he was a publisher’s representative and trainer for secondary and college level textbooks and educational materials. At that time he moved the family to the Atlanta, Georgia area where he remained until 1994. In 1982, he was hired by Lockheed-Martin Corporation to teach Electricity and Electronics Theory and Scientific, Technical and Aeronautical English to international college students.

During his time in Atlanta, he became active in the Unity Church and became a Continuing Education program teacher there. In 1991, his wife Margaret was killed in an auto accident and with his daughters grown and out of the house, he decided to enroll in the Ministerial Education Program at the Unity School for Religious Studies in Unity Village Missouri, where he graduated in 1996.

After becoming an ordained Unity Minister, Raymond’s work brought him back to Hartford Connecticut again where he became the Senior Minister of the Unity Church of West Hartford. Raymond grew the congregation from 15 members to over 150 members. He had an energizing presence that got people excited about the church. During his time at Unity of West Hartford, he started a Youth Education Program, added a Wednesday evening prayer service and class, Lay Ministry Programs, and the “Unity Beacon” church newsletter. Raymond also had a weekly radio program as well as television programs on network and cable TV stations. Raymond believed in the goodness within everyone and volunteered to visit with Connecticut prisoners as a chaplain and counselor.

He began a Capital Campaign in 2000 that raised $250,000 to purchase the land and begin building for a new church, which was opened in April 2005 and is thriving to this day. During his time at Unity of West Hartford, Raymond met his second wife, Susan Shea and they were married on August 30, 1997.

Raymond and Susan lived in Connecticut until 2008, when Raymond retired and they moved to Smyrna, Tennessee where he lived the rest of his life. As a retired minister, Raymond stayed active in the Unity Church and continued to work with other churches in Bowling Green, Kentucky and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. In addition to speaking at other churches he also officiated weddings, Holy Unions, and celebration of life services and taught individual classes at Nashville Adult Literacy.

Raymond loved to tell jokes and help others find the humor in life, no matter what the situation. He enjoyed going for long walks and being near water (but not necessarily in it). He could (and would) spend hours in a bookstore and had a strong appreciation for music and art. Raymond was passionate about gardening and found peace and contentment in his yard tending to flowers and vegetable plants. He was an excellent writer who valued the power of the written and spoken word and was known to write poetry from time to time. Raymond had a way of making those around him feel cared for and uplifted, simply with his positive and non-judgmental way of being. He encouraged his loved ones to pursue their passions and would cheer them on every step of the way. Raymond touched many people’s lives as a father, friend, and minister and helped them to believe in the power they held to create positive change in their lives.

• Raymond is survived by his wife, Susan Stinemetz Shea, his daughters Ellyn Shea (Guy Harrington) and Stephanie Shea (Johny Powell), Stepdaughter Ann Kelley (Steve) and Stepson, David Sweeney (Laura) as well as his grandson, Austin Rago, and his granddaughters Kayla Bendell (Paul Roy) and Adeline Sweeney and great-grandson, Owen James Roy. A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held at Unity of Nashville, 5125 Franklin Pike, Nashville, TN 37220 on February 14, 2026, at 11:00 am.

Donations in Raymond’s honor will be gratefully received by Unity of Nashville (www.unityofnashville.org); Unity of Greater Hartford (unityhartford.org) or Unity Worldwide (www.Unity.org);