BANGOR – Joan Helen (Shea) Agnew, 87, died peacefully Jan. 5, 2012, at a Bangor hospital. She was born Feb. 18, 1924, in Bangor, daughter of John H. and Helen (Millett) Shea.
Joan graduated from John Bapst High School, class of 1941, and from the University of Maine, with a bachelor’s degree, in 1945. In 1948 she married John W. Agnew of Hartford, Conn., and they settled in Bangor to raise their children. Joan worked for many years for the U.S. Customs and retired in 1978. She was a lifelong member of St. John’s Catholic Church, Bangor.
She was predeceased by her loving husband of 48 years, John W. Agnew, in 1996. Joan is survived by a son, John Agnew and wife, Susan, of Chelmsford, Mass.; daughters, Margaret “Peggy” Morse and husband, Mark, of Bangor, Nancy Preble and husband, Michael, of Bangor and Mary Welch and husband, David, of South Portland; her loving grandchildren, Alexis and Natalie Agnew of Chelmsford, Mass., Elisabeth Morse and Candace Crawford of Kensington, Md., Emily and Karen Morse of Stratford, Conn., Christopher Morse of Washington, D.C., Kathleen Bouchard and husband, Daniel, of Hampden and John Welch of South Portland; and two great-grandchildren, Ryan Morse and Jacob Bouchard.
Friends may call 4-7 p.m. Monday, Jan 9, at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 10, at St. Paul the Apostle Parish, St. John’s Catholic Church. Interment will be at Mount Pleasant Catholic Cemetery. The family invites relatives and friends to share conversation and refreshments at the Family Reception Center of Brookings-Smith, 163 Center St., Bangor, after the interment. Gifts in her memory may be sent to CancerCare of Maine, Lafayette Family Cancer Center, care of Healthcare Charities, P.O. Box 931, Bangor, ME 04402-0931.