John Shea, Chairman of J.F. Shea Co., Inc. and a prolific supporter of many Catholic schools in the Diocese of San Bernardino, died peacefully after a brief illness on Oct. 16 in Pasadena, CA. Shea was 96 years old.
While its contributions to Catholic schools in the Diocese of San Bernardino began decades ago, the J.F. Shea Foundation has, in just the past eight years, funded 21 different Catholic school projects in the Diocese totaling more than $28 million.
Born on Sept. 29, 1926 in Oakland, CA, Shea grew up in the Hancock Park neighborhood of Los Angeles and graduated from Los Angeles High School. He attended USC’s Viterbi School of Engineering where he was a standout tennis player, winning an NCAA championship with his brother and doubles partner, Gilbert Shea.
After college Shea joined his family’s civil construction business and worked on dam and tunnel projects throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. In 1958, the company, which was renowned for its work on the Golden Gate Bridge and the Hoover Dam, was dissolved and reincorporated by Shea with his cousins, Edmund and Peter Shea. They then built the reorganized J.F. Shea Co. into one of the largest privately held companies in the United States.
In the late 1980s Shea discovered his true calling: support for Catholic Schools in need, and scholarships for disadvantaged students. Over the last 35 years, Shea and his wife Dorothy have provided tens of thousands of scholarships and funded more than 1,000 school renovations on more than five hundred different campuses in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and across the United States.
Noted projects in the Diocese of San Bernardino funded by the Shea Foundation have included the Performing Arts Center at Aquinas High School in San Bernardino, major campus building expansion of Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Indio, classroom building expansion of Sacred Heart School in Rancho Cucamonga, and a new sports field and gymnasium renovation at Notre Dame High School in Riverside. New Science-Technology-Engineering-Math (STEM) labs at several schools were funded by the Shea Foundation in the past decade.
“John Shea has moved the needle for Catholic education in the San Bernardino diocese. His vision, his inspiration has empowered our schools to be learning environments that serve all children,” said Dr. Samuel Torres, Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese. “John Shea has blessed us and now we preserve and grow his legacy.”
Shea’s dedication to Catholic education brought him decades of joy and fulfillment and made a lasting impact on countless communities throughout Los Angeles and the nation.
Shea’s life and his professional achievements were defined by his love of family and his strong Catholic faith. He attended daily Mass throughout his adult life and balanced the demands of running a multi-billion-dollar company with family dinners and a competitive tennis hobby that saw him rise to the #1 ranking in California in his fifties.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 54 years, Dorothy Babbitt Shea; his eight children, 31 grandchildren, and one great-grandson.
A Mass of Resurrection will be celebrated on Friday, Oct. 21, at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles.