Amherst, Miss Mary Ann Shea, 86, of Amherst, departed life unexpectedly on Friday afternoon, May 18, 2018 in her 87^th year, at the Cooley Dickinson Hospital in Northampton.

Born in Holyoke the daughter of Finian and Mary {White} Shea, she was an art student from the Boston area and graduated from Umass Amherst. Mary taught English for Hopkins Academy, and was a long time aviator and flight instrument instructor for Northampton Aeronautics at the Northampton Airport, formerly LaFleur Airport. She was a devote Christian and longtime parishioner, Eucharistic minister and lecture of Saint Brigid’s Church in Amherst.

Preceded in death by her parents and two brothers Finian and John, Mary leaves behind her beloved and devoted friend Charlie Brown, a Boston Terrier Chihuahua mix, rescue dog.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be Friday May 25, 10:00 am at St. Brigid’s Church, Amherst. A calling hour will precede the Mass from 8:45 – 9:45 at the Douglass Funeral Service, Amherst. Burial will be in St. Jerome’s Cemetery, Holyoke at 12 pm on the 25^th.

In lieu of flowers, kindly send donations to St. Brigid’s Church, 122 N. Pleasant St. Amherst, MA 01002 or the T.J. O’Connor Animal Adoption Center 627 Cottage St. Springfield, MA