John M. Shea

John Michael Shea, 83, of Lehigh Acres, Fl formerly of Scituate and Boston, MA, passed away on April 7, 2026. Born in Boston to the late Edmund C. Shea and Grace E. (Gottwald) Shea, John was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Kathleen Marie (Rand) Shea. Together, they raised 4 children, and he leaves behind John Jr. and his wife, Chrissy of Lehigh Acres, FL; James and his husband, Marty of Chicago, Il, Susan Portanova and her husband, Michael of Scituate, MA; and Daniel and his wife, Anna of Scituate. He also leaves behind 9 grandchildren – Patrick Portanova of Tucson, AZ; Jack Portanova of Colorado Springs, Co, Brendan Portanova of North Attleboro, MA; Michael Portanova; Grace Portanova; Priscilla Shea; Micky Shea; Shirley Shea; and Goldie Shea, all of Scituate, MA. He was predeceased by an infant grandson, Declan Padraig Shea of Scituate.

After serving in the United States Navy onboard the USS Wasp, John was a Boston firefighter for many years, serving as a tiller man for Ladder 10 in Jamaica Plain and Ladder 25 in West Roxbury. He enjoyed teaching fire safety at his children’s schools in the 1980s.

John had an auto body shop in Hyde Park, Bojack Auto, for more than 20 years with his longtime friend and fellow firefighter, Bob Mansour.

After retiring from BFD, he was a commercial fisherman out of Scituate. He owned and captained a dragger called the F/V Yankee Rose. John was always known as a generous and loyal friend who was willing to lend a hand to anyone. He loved his family fiercely and took great pride in his children and grandchildren. After moving to Florida, he spent summers in Scituate.

John spent the last 8 years of his life with his second wife, Annie, and together, they traveled often and had many wonderful adventures, roaming the world.

An avid animal lover, John had many dogs and a special kitty over the years. He was no doubt greeted by them all at the Rainbow Bridge.

In addition to his wife, children, and grandchildren, John leaves behind his brothers Eddie, Rick, and Steve, as well as his sisters, Carol and Cindy. He also leaves behind cousins in Cape Clare, Ireland, and many nieces and nephews.

John was a friend of Bill W. for many years and helped countless others in their journey.

John was one of a kind and will be deeply missed by all of us who were lucky enough to have known him.

“Fair Winds Following Seas”

A Celebration of Life will be held April 19th at El Tarasco in Lehigh Acres at 1:00PM. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made to Hope Hospice (1201 Wings Way LeHigh Acres, FL 33936)