SHEA HERLIHY-ABBA
08/02/1990 - 03/03/2023
Shea was born on August 2nd, 1990, in Nuremburg, Germany. He passed on March 3rd at his home in Houston, Texas.
He graduated from St. John’s School, Colorado College and was pursuing a Master’s in Counseling at Northwestern University when he was diagnosed with cancer.
Shea was an accomplished and passionate writer, having published his first poem at age 11. His love of the horror, fantasy, and comedy genres led Shea on many a creative literary journey as he published numerous short stories in various anthologies throughout his adult life. Shea’s quick and incisive wit were the delight of his friends and family. He had a great love and appreciation for nature and treasured his summers in Maine and time in Colorado and Ireland.
Shea trained in and practiced martial arts from an early age, earning a black belt in Kuk Sool Won. He was also a dedicated wrestler, achieving all-state honors for the St. John’s Mavericks. The ethos of “fighting up off the mat” was woven into the fiber of Shea’s being and came to define his wrestling career and much of his life. Shea considered his most important work to be helping others who struggled for mental and spiritual health. He cultivated a circle of dear friends in Colorado with whom he shared these passions. Shea had deep and broad interests in spiritual traditions and mysticism. He studied and practiced Qigong, and often journeyed to the Pine Ridge
Reservation in South Dakota where he felt a profound connection with the Lakota.
We pray that wherever Shea is, and whatever his journey, that he knows “aoibhneas croi” (in Irish, a gladness of heart and joy deep within the soul).
Shea is survived by his parents J Pat Herlihy and Kathi Abba, as well as by his brother, Derry Herlihy, sisterin-law Nola Seta Herlihy, his niece and nephew who adored him, his grandmother, Kay Abba, and beloved aunts, uncles, and cousins. We thank Shea’s many friends, teachers, caregivers, trainers, and coaches in Houston, Colorado, and Maine, whose love and support were great treasures throughout Shea’s life.
Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to One Spirit (onespiritlakota. org) or The Trevor Project (thetrevorproject.org).