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Edward Shanahan Jr.
joined the Vigilant Fire Company March 1, 1954 and
served as an active member until he moved to Florida in
1998. From the beginning he was something special around
the Firehouse and moved up the ranks, serving as Chief
from 1965-1966. After his term as Chief, Ed served as a
Trustee
to the Company and as a mentor to its members.
Ed was born in
Sommerville, NJ on November 24, 1929 and was the son of
Edward Sr, a past Chief of the Manville, NJ Fire
Department. After graduating from High School, he joined
the Navy. While stationed at Sand Point, Ed met Mary
Heaphy
who would become his wife in January 1954.
Ed and Mary moved to
Great Neck and following in his father’s footsteps, Ed
joined the local fire company. Becoming a Vigilant was
not a tough choice for Ed as Mary’s father, Jack Heaphy,
along with almost everyone who lived on
either Walnut or
Pearce place was already members.
In 1960, Ed was sworn in
as a Patrolman for the Kensington Police Department. He
moved up the ranks there quickly as well and retired in
1982 as the Chief of Police.
Ed was a family man who
proudly watched his three sons become Vigilant members.
Sadly, after nearly forty years of marriage, Mary passed
away in July, 1994. Ed moved to Sarasota in 1998 where
he enjoyed the wonderful year round weather. After
suffering through many years playing first base for the
Vigilant Softball Team, he was a regular at spring
training games and a season ticket holder of the Boston
Red Sox farm team. Ed enjoyed gardening and most of all
baby sitting for his
three granddaughters, Diana, Christina, and Kim.
He told his sons that one
of the joys of his last years was attending the
Vigilant’s 100th Anniversary, joking that “I
was here for the 50th and 100th
Anniversaries but I don’t think I’ll make the 150th.”
Ed passed away on April 16, 2005. At his wake, his
successor as Chief of Police, Douglas Anderson said that
when he asked Ed which uniform he would like to be laid
out in upon his passing the answer without
hesitation was, “my Vigilant uniform.”
Edward Shanahan was an
asset to the
Vigilant Fire Company and will never be forgotten. |
