Gary (Bubba) Shea of Lostant, Illinois was born on June 12, 1961, and passed peacefully in his sleep on November 23, 2021 from natural causes.
Gary graduated from Knoxville High School and Western Illinois University. He worked doing what he loved as a Ranger for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, most recently at Starved Rock State Park. He traveled extensively living throughout the United States, yet he always returned to and remained committed to the Greater Knoxville area.
Gary was a beloved family member, fiancé, and friend. He never met anyone that he didn’t love, and the feeling was universally shared by all who knew him. The phrase “To know him was to love him” was never more appropriate than pertaining to Gary Shea. He shared unique and special bonds with each and every person that he ever met, and was loved by all. Gary is survived by his loving fiancé, Tanya Ralls, his immediate family, John Shea and family, Kevin and Annette Kennelly and family, Bob and Cindy Emmett and family, and Paul and Stephanie Schaeffer and family, as well as innumerable extended family members and friends. He will be eternally loved and missed by all who were fortunate enough to know him in his all too short 60 years of life.
Visitation will be Sunday, November 28, 2021 at Watson Thomas Funeral Home and Crematory, Galesburg. Funeral mass will be 10 a.m. Monday, November 29, 2021 at Corpus Christi Catholic Church, Galesburg. Father Lee Brokaw will officiate. Burial will follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Galesburg. Memorials may be made to?? Online expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.watsonthomas.com.
