Mary Veronica (Finnegan) Shea

Mary Veronica Shea, 93, resident of Brighton Gardens, Charlotte, passed away on Thursday, February 23, 2017, of heart failure.  She was born on October 31, 1923, in Dwight, Illinois, and was the fourth of six children born to the late James William Finnegan and Catherine Agnes (Curtin) Finnegan. Mary is preceded in death by her brothers  Edwin, Leo, and Paul and  sister were Mercedes.  Her sister Rita (now Sister M. Edwina, OP) survives her.

When Mary was six years old the family moved to a farm in Odell, Illinois. Mrs. Shea  graduated from St. Paul’s Catholic High School in 1941, and borrowed $600 from her Aunt Hannah to attend business school. This seemed like an astronomical debt at the time, and Mary was determined to learn all that she could and pay back this debt, which she did.  After completing business school, she moved to Washington, DC, to live with her sister, Mercedes, and to help her with her young children. She worked in the accounting department at the National Catholic Community Service (NCCS). Mary met her future husband at a U.S.O. dance in 1947. She married the late Joseph Michael Shea on April 24, 1948. They were blessed with eight children. Their children and spouses are Thomas (Marcia) Shea, Eileen (Jim) Wise, Daniel Shea, James (Mary Joan) Shea, Victor (Cindy) Shea, John Shea (deceased) survived by his widow, Phyllis Zloch, Joseph (Jennifer) Shea, and Kathleen Shea. They were further blessed with 19 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.

A funeral Mass will be held on Monday, February 27, at 10:30 AM at St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church at 6828 Old Reid Rd., Charlotte, NC 28210. Visitation will be Sunday from 3-5 pm at Carolina Funeral Service & Cremation Center, 5505 Monroe Rd., Charlotte, NC 28212. (carolinafuneral.com)  In lieu of flowers, donations to St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church charities would be appreciated.

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