Michael D. Sheehy passed away peacefully in Christiana Hospital August 23, 2017 surrounded by loved ones.
Michael was born in Jacksonville, FL, the second of 10 children, to Edward and Rosemary Sheehy. In his younger years, he swam competitively for Holiday Hills Swim Club and excelled while attending Salesianum School. After achieving a “perfect” 1600 SAT score, he enrolled at LaSalle College. A year later he enlisted in the US Army and trained as a medic and as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division.
After serving, Michael attended the University of Delaware and received a Bachelor’s degree in Biology, and Master’s degree in Business Administration. While at Delaware, he met his future wife, Beth. Michael and Beth married in 1977, and had 4 sons; Christopher, Daniel, Michael, and Nicholas. Professionally, Michael worked at Bell Atlantic/Verizon and retired as Director of Regulatory Affairs. He later took on the office of Public Advocate for the State of Delaware, representing the public’s best interests in government. He retired in 2013.
Michael was actively engaged with his family; coaching the boys in soccer and baseball. He also acted as an umpire in Brandywine Little League. He prided himself on his intelligence and wit, and could always be found with a crossword or book in his hands. Michael promoted all levels of academia for his children, and the family routinely would play Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble, etc. He also played tennis and joined his sons’ pickup basketball games. Although not the tallest, he made his presence known – and many hard fouls were exchanged and remembered.
In 2007, the family was struck by tragedy when his son, Michael Andrew, was in a car accident and passed away. This took a toll on the family, including Michael. Despite these difficulties, he never gave up his enduring generosity and love. He became more involved with Gift of Life Foundation, as well as other generous acts throughout the Delaware community. Meeting his grandchildren and seeing his sons mature and grow up, was a great moment of joy for him. He consistently reminded them of the pride he felt in raising them to be “good kids”. Michael will be remembered always for his incomparable intelligence, eccentricity, love, and generosity.
Michael is predeceased by his father (Edward) and son (Michael Andrew). He is survived by his mother (Rosemary), his 9 brothers and sisters, his ex-wife (Beth), his sons (Christopher, Daniel, and Nicholas), and grandchildren (Atticus, Gabriella, and Emily).
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Michael’s honor to three charities he was active with in his life – Disabled American Veterans (DAV.org), Gift of Life Foundation (www.donors1.org), or Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (bbbs.org).
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