William Michael Shea

William Michael Shea, a member of the Environment, Safety, and Health Directorate, died July 13 after a lengthy illness. He was 59.

After nine years in the Nuclear Navy, Shea started at the Lab in 1979. During his 33-year career, he worked in a variety of positions in the Hazard Control Department (HCD).

In the early years as a Health and Safety (H&S) technician he supported programs including the Rotating Neutron Target Source II and the Plutonium Facility. He also supported the Laboratory's Off-Shift Health and Safety technician position while attending San Jose State University. In the early 1990s, he became the technical lead for Health and Safety Technician development within HCD's Technical Support and Policy Development . In 2000, he was promoted as an H&S technician supervisor, and most recently assisted with developing training and qualification programs in the Safety, Education, and Training Section.

Shea is survived by his daughter, LaVaughn and her husband James Breakfield, grandchildren, Emily and Ryan, and daughter, Sabrina. He will be remembered for his kindness, timely candidness, masterful wit, amazing poems, Lego constructions, his love of reading and crossword puzzles, and his passion for Dr. Thunder soda (in a two-liter bottle, of course).

A celebration of llfe service will be held at 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 9, at Callaghan Mortuary in Livermore, followed by a reception at 4 p.m. at the Livermore Community Center on East Avenue. The interment ceremony will be conducted Aug. 10 at 10 a.m. at the Sacramento Valley National Cemetery in Dixon, Calif.

Please contact cadiz1 [at] llnl.gov (Ron Cadiz) if you have a memory of Shea you wish to share.

Donations in Shea's memory may be made to the Library and Literacy Foundation for San Joaquin County or the Manteca Friends of the Library Buy a Book program.