Donald “Ducky” O’Shea, 88, of Sebastian, passed away on Jan. 8, 2015.
He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Eileen O’Shea of Sebastian; sons Daniel J. O’Shea (Donna) of South Easton, Mass., and Robert O’Shea of Wallingford, Conn.; daughters Kathy O’Shea Roache (James) of Canton, Mass., Deirdre Regensburg (Michael) of St. Augustine, Fla., Erin Lowney (Ed) of Easton, Mass., and Lauren Logan (Allan) of Durham, N.C.; 16 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his first wife of 48 years and mother of his children, Helen (Ennis) O’Shea and his daughters, Karen Conroy and Deborah O’Shea.
O’Shea was born in Boston and lived in Canton, Mass., before moving to Sebastian where he was a member of St. Sebastian Catholic Church. He was a veteran of the US Navy and his WWII combat service in the South Pacific earned him the WWII Victory Medal, American Area Medal and Asiatic-Pacific Area Medal. He later served in the US Air Force Reserves and worked for Boston Edison Company for 41 years.
During the course of his career, O’Shea helped establish the Employee Assistance program and dedicated his life to counseling people with substance abuse problems. He held a friendship with Bill W. that spanned 58 years and involved thousands of acquaintances across the country.
In lieu of flowers donation may be made to, Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice Foundation, 1110 35th Lane, Vero Beach, FL 32960 in memory of Donald O’Shea. Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2015, at Strunk Funeral Home, Sebastian. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 16, 2015, St. Sebastian Catholic Church with Father John Morrissey, celebrant. Interment will take place at Massachusetts National Cemetery, Bourne, Mass., with Military Honors at a later date. A guest book is available at www.strunkfuneralhome.com.
Strunk Funeral Home of Sebastian is entrusted with arrangements.