Bittersweet Day for the Shea Clan

One man comes to mind when many local Irishmen think of St. Patricks day...John Shea senior. The beloved St. Joseph councilman was a fixture at the parade for 19 years...But he passed away last August. Irishmen say he was as much of a tradition as the parade itself. The lovable man would ride in a wheel barrow during every St. Patricks day parade. John Sr. helped get that parade up and running 20 years ago. Patrick Downing Shea said, "We wanted to have our own up here and he was very instrumental with some of what we call the Irish mafia getting this set up in St. Joe." All of the day`s excitement brought back old memories; including the parade that John`s wheel barrow didn`t have wheels. Patrick said, "We realized how hard that was but luckily we had the three of us John and Andy were all there to push dad. He was always in there we`d take turns with the grandkids and he`d throw candy out from there." Remembering their dad is what today is all about for the Shea family. The made T-shirts with their dad`s favorite picture on the front and the words "Shea Clan." Patrick said, "This one`s going to be sad for us because it means so much to us. He was a big part of it and every year we`d always get together on this day for sure. So it`s bitter sweet for us. It`s a sad day but we`re also celebrating dad and his memory." Their dad would have been pleased with this year`s turnout. The president of the Ancient Order of Hibernians Tom Supple said, "This year we had about twice the number of entries because of the great weather I think, the crowds along the route were bigger than usual, it was a great time." A great time his sons say John Senior shared with them because he rode along in spirit.