David Michael Shea — a resident of Summerland, Calif. for 25 years — died peacefully in his favorite chair with his New England Patriots hat in hand at his home Friday, Aug. 28, 2015.
Born December 1, 1932 in Coronado, Calif., to Earl C. and Mary Ann Taylor Shea, he was 82.
A military funeral will be held at Camp Butler, Springfield, Ill., at 2 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, 2015.
David is survived by wife Irene Dittberner Shea, whom he married in 1957 in Ancon, Panama. They were married for 36 years.
Also surviving are one son, Kevin Shea; three daughters, Deirdre Shea, Moira (Doug Buck) Shea and Kathleen (Robert) Ackermann; one grandchild, Brennan Ackermann; and one sister, Patricia (Jack) Murray.
He was preceded in death by two sons, Sean and Kelly Shea; and his three brothers: John, Robert and Daniel Shea.
As a young man, Dave grew up in Peoria, Ill., where in 1949 he was in the Golden Gloves boxing tournament. He later served in the Army at Fort Kobbe, Panama and was employed by the Central Intelligence Agency.
David received his MBA at Rivier University in Nashua, N.H., and worked as a contract negotiator for guidance missile control systems throughout the United States.
In retirement, Mike Shea donated most of his time to charities and volunteering to help others.
As a private pilot, he often flew with his lifetime family friend, Keith Wilhite, to bring food to the poor in Mexico. Later, David volunteered thousands of hours working with the Red Cross, traveling around the country to assist with relief and refuge; including the Katrina disaster in 2005.
He was well known for his Red Cross work in his local community of Santa Barbara for assisting displaced families in emergencies. David also donated many hours helping the Devereaux Foundation.
Most recently he and his good friend Lois Evans were regular volunteers with the AARP tax preparation services offered to low income and the elderly.
David enjoyed many hobbies throughout his lifetime. He ran the Boston Marathon in 1983.
He loved flying small aircraft and later parachuting out of them.
He spent many early morning hours with the “beachwalkers” having coffee along the way.
His favorite thing of all was enjoying the evening sunset view daily from his favorite picnic table at Lookout Park.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Red Cross.