Farewell to a giant
Hundreds give Jack Shea an Olympian tribute
By SAM DiMEO Staff Writer
LAKE PLACID - Hundreds of people turned out Friday for the
funeral of two-time gold
medalist John A. "Jack" Shea, 91, who began an Olympic
legacy spanning three
generations.
Cars filled the parking lot and lined the streets near St.
Agnes Catholic Church under
blustery, snowy skies as the coffin - draped with an Olympic
flag - was carried up the
main walk by Shea's three sons and three of his grandsons, including
current Olympian
James "Jimmy" Shea Jr.
More than three dozen honorary pallbearers stood silently
in two rows just below the
church steps as the coffin was carried in.
Inside the church, local and national media representatives
lined the balcony as
hundreds of residents and community leaders filled the pews below.
Among officials in attendance were State Sen. Ronald B. Stafford,
Olympic Regional
Development Authority President Ted Blazer, State Assembly representatives
Elizabeth
"Betty" Little and Chris Ortloff and Lake Placid Mayor
Robert Politi.
"I am so grateful for the life and times of Jack Shea,"
said son James, a member of the
1964 U.S. Winter Olympic team, during family reflections late
in the Mass. "My heart
soars like an eagle."
The elder Shea died at 12:30 a.m. Tuesday at Adirondack Medical
Center, about eight
hours after the 2001 Cadillac he was driving was struck by a
Ford van driven by Herbert
Reynolds, 36, of Saranac Lake on a snowy village road.
An autopsy found that the accident caused internal bleeding,
which led to Shea's death.
Reynolds, whose blood-alcohol level was .05 percent above
the legal limit at the time, is
scheduled to appear in North Elba Town Court on Feb. 4 on charges
that include driving
while intoxicated, according to State Police in Ray Brook. Reynolds
has not returned calls
from the Press-Republican.
This week, Shea was praised by the U.S. Olympic Committee,
leading New York State
government officials, the House of Representatives in Washington,
D.C., community
leaders, family and friends.
"I just want to thank you for honoring Dad by your presence
here today," James said in an
even, quiet voice that was carried clearly through the churchís
public-announcement
system. "Iíve got to tell you, Dad would have loved
it."
"Words can not describe the greatness of Jack Shea,"
said son John Jr. shortly after
Communion. "He was a legend. Jack Shea was bigger than life."
Last month, the Sheas became the first family to boast three
generations of Winter
Olympians when James "Jimmy" Shea Jr. won the silver
medal in World Cup skeleton
competition and, with it, a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
James was a Nordic skier on the U.S. team in Innsbruck in
1964.
Jack became the first Winter Olympic Games double gold-medal
winner when he won
the 500- and 1,500-meter speedskating events in 1932.
"Our dream came true, and Dad was so happy," said
James, referring to the Olympic hat
trick. "At the same time, I have to tell you Dad loved his
whole family in equal parts."
The Rev. J. Michael Gaffney, pastor of St. Agnes and lead
celebrant of the Mass, called
Shea a "deeply religious" man.
"It is not only our parish who mourns the loss of Jack,"
said Gaffney, "... but he is a loss
also to our village and our town and the Olympic movement he
held so dear."
The pastor noted that family placed ahead of the Olympics
on Sheaís personal scale.
"His love of family and his love of God were more important
to him than anything else in
the world," he said. "If anybody was ready to die,
it was Jack. He was always prepared.
He was always faithful. What a passion he had for life. He gave
people hope. He lived it."
After winning two gold medals at the Speed-Skating Oval in
Lake Placid in 1932, Shea
managed Sheaís Market and, later, Sheaís Mirror
Lake Liquor Store. He also served as
justice of the peace and town supervisor in North Elba.
He was a member of the Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee
and the bid team
for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games held here.
In 1962, Shea was elected to the Speed Skating Hall of Fame
and, later, to the Lake
Placid Hall of Fame. In 1982, he was appointed to the ORDA Board
of Directors, where
he served as vice chairman until his death.
"For 70 years, he was proud to be an Olympian,"
James said during the service Friday.
"He was so many things, and he did them so well."
Following the service, the hearse bearing the speedskating
legend took a final lap
around the oval, where the legacy began so long ago.
(reprinted by
permission of the the Press-Republican Online News)
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