Obituaries
John W. Shire, II
John W. Shire, II, 59, of Manheim Township, died Tuesday, August 23, 2011 at Hospice of Lancaster County on Good Drive. He was born and raised in York to the late John W. and Arlene R. Shire.
A 1970 graduate of Central York High School, he earned a managerial certificate from Penn State York. John was a paid firefighter of Springettsbury Township Fire Department for 29 years. Starting as a firefighter in 1977, he retired as Shift Captain in November of 2006. Next John was a supervisor for York County 911. Lastly, he was the safety, security and transportation manager for Brethren Village. He attended St. John Neumann Catholic Church.
John was assistant Fire Chief and Trustee of East Petersburg Fire Company for the last 9 years. He was a Certified Fire and Explosive Investigator and was National Pro Board Certified of Fire Service Qualifications as Fire Officer III, Instructor II and Inspector I.
John’s loving family includes his wife Barbara Beittel Shire; 2 sons, Matthew J. Shire, husband of Jane Shire, and their daughter Eva Shire of Avondale, and Brian P. Shire, and his fiancé Lauran Wiltsie of West Goshen; sister Joyce, wife of Keith Sauerwald of Cape Coral, FL; niece Jill, wife of Phil Keppell, and their sons Brandon Lawton and Taylor Keppell of California; and his cousin Nancy, wife of Ron Wagman of Dover.
A Visitation will take place from 9 to 11 AM and the Funeral Mass at 11 AM, with The Rev. Paul J. Theisz officiating, on Saturday, August 27th at St. John Neumann Catholic Church. Interment will be private. Please omit flowers. Contributions can be made in John’s memory to the Capital Improvement Fund at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 601 E. Delp Rd., Lancaster, PA 17601 or to the Good Samaritan Fund at Brethren Village, Attn: Development Department, PO Box 5093, Lancaster, PA 17606 or to the East Petersburg Fire Company, 6076 Pine St., East Petersburg, PA, 17520. To send the family online condolences, please visit SnyderFuneralHome.com. Charles F. Snyder Jr. Funeral Home & Crematory 717-560-5100
Leave a condolence on this Memorial Page
John is remembered for his dedication to safety and security at Brethren Village. We miss his care for us all. May you as family know that we were blessed by you sharing him with us. Barbara, I was impressed with you love and care for him during the past several months. May you find comfort and joy with many fond memories of John.
Blessings to you always,
Ken Beam
Barb, Matt and Brian: My heart goes out to you Barb in the loss of your husband and partner. To Matt and Brian, may you find comfort in the memories of your dad. I am so glad I had the opportunity to visit and was blessed to be touched by John’s courage and kindness. He is at peace now but his spirit will live in all of you. He, and all of you, are in my thoughts and prayers.
God Bless,
Gil Gonsalves
I Miss John a whole lot. I would love to meet forest gump man that was at the service. I have a shirt on for John the united states of america freedom forever. John will be missed by all. go get them chief
Joseph N Felice jr
John was a great friend and boss. He will be greatly missed by all! R.I.P. "Chief"!!
John was a wonderful person, who gave us a great example to follow. John cared about people deeply, and always did what he could to make things better for all. John will be greatly missed by the residents and team members of Brethren Village, we all have been blessed by knowing him. My sympathy goes to John’s family, I know they brought him pride.
Mike Schreiner BV Security
I Really do miss John a whole lot. He meant a lot to all of us. Especially his lovely wife barb and his kids.
Joseph N Felice Jr
I have many wonderful memories of my Uncle John. He always had memorable family picnics and I will forever remember him as a dedicated father. I will also remember his love of animals and all the kittens he had. Uncle John had a knack for building things and had the best outdoor deck around. I will miss his great sense of humor and warm smile. I wish I had more time to spend with him in my adult years. He will be greatly missed.
Jill Keppel his niece
It was my privilege to take this journey with my cousin John and his loving wife Barb. I am so proud of the man he became. He was strong and determined to see this to the end with dignity and courage and do it Shire’s way… He had a plan… He spoke to me of his passion for his work as a firefighter and the close brotherhood with his men. I saw with my own eyes the dedication and respect these brothers gave him, from cutting up broken tree limbs in his front yard after a storm, to visits to make sure Barb was holding up and to spending time with John by his bedside. Even trying to finish John’s bucket list with a ride on the "old Yoe fire truck." Thank you guys for your love and steadfast friendship. Also to his family at the Brethren Village. The cards, flowers, phone calls, visits and prayers reaching out to John and Barb. A thank you to his Hospice nurses, who gave him excellent, compassionate care and support for Barb. Lastly I need to express my love and deep respect for John’s wife Barb, for her love and tireless dedication to John’s care. She fought like a "mother tiger" to get the right medical care he needed. She was by John’s beside day and night. John, you sure know how to pick’em. "On the day John entered his heavenly home the earth shook with rejoicing" God rest his soul!
With all my love,
John’s cousin Nancy
I had to opportunity to work with John at Brethren Village as many times he was there to greet EMS on 911 calls and escort our crews. It was always a pleasure working with John and will be greatly missed. John was a true professional at his job. John had a huge heart for emergency services and his career is a tribute to that. Even recently when I assisting John, he maintained a smile on his face. May all of his family find comfort in knowing John is at peace and in the arms of his savior Christ Jesus. My sincerest condolences to the entire Shire family.
~Brent A. Riehl
MTAA
John you will be missed. Met you back in 1996 at station 17, Had SO much fun! you help me to know everybody and help convinced the crew to let me live at the station while I was attending school. Im sorry that I wasnt able to stay intouch but hate so much that I didnt get to say bye. Love you brother!
Michael "TICK" Pannill
