John Alan O’Shea, 40, a U.S. Navy veteran and longshoreman who worked in New Jersey and New York, died suddenly Thursday at his home in Jersey City.
Born in Brooklyn, John was brought to Staten Island as a child. He grew up in Tottenville and graduated from Our Lady Help of Christians School and St. Joseph by the Sea High School.
He attended St. John’s University and served in the Navy for four years. He apprenticed as an electrician before starting a career as a Longshoreman in 2015. He worked over the years at ports in Elizabeth, NJ, and Manhattan and Brooklyn and for the last four years was based out of Global Terminal in Jersey City, where he belonged to the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) Local 1588. He made many friends among his coworkers at the busy port. John operated cranes and heavy equipment to help facilitate the transfer of thousands of containers of cargo being imported and exported internationally and along the Eastern and South Atlantic gulf coasts. He also worked in the past as a bartender at locations in Manhattan including the Tippler in the Chelsea section.
John loved art and animals and over the years adopted rescue dogs. He was also passionate about baseball and bike riding. It was not uncommon for him to ride his bike for miles through Manhattan, across the George Washington Bridge and through The Palisades and Hudson Valley.
He was predeceased by his father, William O’Shea. Surviving are his mother, Rita O’Shea; his brother, Brian O’Shea; a sister, Karen O’Shea Huey, and her husband, Jeffrey Huey; his niece, Kate Brant, and her husband, Michael Brant; and his nephew, William Huey. John is also survived by his beloved girlfriend, Jessica Mannarino, and his lifelong best friend, Michael Rizzo.
Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 27th at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad St, Red Bank, NJ 07701. Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, April 28th at 11 a.m. at St. James R.C. Church, 94 Broad St, Red Bank, NJ 07701. In lieu of flowers, friends and family can make donations to the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation, P.O. Box 3489, Newtown, CT 06470.
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