Daniel Shaw Keary
KEARY, Daniel Shaw, 60, CAPE COD, MA & PRESQUE ISLE, at Cape Cod, January 6, 2012. Arrangements in care of Hallett Funeral Home, South Yarmouth, MA.
CAPE COD, MA & PRESQUE ISLE – Daniel Shaw Keary, 60, passed away on January 6, 2012, at his home, with his loving family holding his hand. He died seven years after he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
Dan is survived by his adoring wife, Sheila (McGuire); son, Patrick & his fiancé, Jen Lewis of Hopkinton; daughter, Lisa of Stoneham; and sister, Jane Murphy & her fiancé, John McCarthy of Wilmington, NC. He was the devoted uncle of Sharon Miller (Scully), Rebecca Scully, Bridget Scully, Katie Honikel, Joseph Feeley, Jessica Feeley, DeeAnn Behnke, Analica Behnke, Sean Behnke, and Melina Behnke.
Born in Fort Fairfield, on Feb. 9, 1951, Dan grew up with his parents, Jim and Jean and sister, Jane in Presque Isle. This place remained special to him his entire life and he always recalled his youth fondly. In 1969, he graduated from Presque Isle High School and the family sold their potato farm and moved to Cape Cod where they purchased the Green Spot Garden Center.
Dan went off to college at Saint Anselm and graduated in 1973 with a BA in history, a subject that he continued to enjoy throughout his life though it did not figure into his career. Dan went back to school and in 1975, a couple of things happened that would forever impact his life. In that year, he graduated from Stockbridge School of Agriculture and married his beautiful bride, Sheila McGuire. In 1978, Dan and Sheila purchased the Green Spot from Jim & Jean and ran it until his illness caused him to retire in 2004. The Green Spot was a business but to Dan, it was so much more than that. It combined his love for horticulture and people on a daily basis. When Dan did retire, he finally had time to pursue his passion for gardening and spent his days at home in his yard and gardens.
Dan had many other interests as well. He was a die-hard Boston sports fan. He loved keeping up with and discussing both past and current events. He loved being with family & friends anywhere he could and was proud to know them all. He especially enjoyed spending time with his numerous nieces and nephews and dispensing enduring words of wisdom (MAP, sacred cows, proper squirrel care, and so much more). He would spend time with them and the rest of the family on the Cape, Key West and in the Adirondacks whenever he could. Throughout his retirement and illness, he made trips with the family out west to Utah, New Mexico, and Montana and travelled to Ireland. During the later years especially, he and Sheila made Key West a second home and created lasting memories as they enjoyed life together. The two of them embodied everything a husband and wife should.
His sharp sense of humor endeared him to many. Even as his illness progressed, he kept this same infectious sense of humor and enjoyed life. Dan made friends wherever he went, whether it be to the Green Parrot or Oak Barrel for a frosty beverage, Dana Farber for a treatment, or Dunkin Donuts for his coffee.
Friends and relatives called at Hallett Funeral Home, 273 Station Avenue, South Yarmouth, MA, on Monday, January 9, from 4-7 p.m. A funeral Mass was held at Our Lady of the Highway Church on Route 28 at Forest Rd. in South Yarmouth on Tuesday, January 10, at 11 am.
During his illness, Dan received exceptional care, both medically and personally, from Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Hospice of Cape Cod. Donations in his memory may be made to either Dana Farber Cancer Institute at 44 Binney St, Boston, MA 01880 or Hospice of Cape Cod at 765 Attucks Lane, Hyannis, MA 02601.
