Shane Michael Hennessey, a loving son, father, devoted husband, and compassionate brother, died peacefully at the young age of 34, on September 9, 2015, at his residence in Schertz, Texas, after a lengthy battle with a work-related injury.

Born February 5, 1981, in Tampa, Florida, Shane resided in numerous places before his family set roots in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Shane’s joy was always in helping others. As a young child he helped raise Seeing Eye dogs for the blind. As a youth he did mission work and volunteered with local organizations. Shane attended Alert Academy in 2000 and studied to be an EMT, as well as receiving 20 hours of flight training and a SCUBA diver certification.Shane was a part of Marine Corps Firefighter Crash Crew 374-ARFF. He served honorably, including a deployment to Iraq in 2003, and earned numerous awards. He earned his associate degree from Copper Mountain College and received his CDL license.

After his discharge in 2006, Shane began a new journey as a Department of Defense firefighter. His fire stations included Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center in Twentynine Palms, California; Naval Air Station in Kingsville, Texas; Veteran Affairs Fire Station in Helena, Montana; and Ft. Sam Houston Fire Department in San Antonio, Texas, where he was employed at the time of his death. Throughout his career Shane received numerous awards, including Civilian of the Quarter, Firefighter of the Quarter, several monetary excellence awards, and a paid reward trip to attend the National Fire Chiefs convention in Chicago, Illinois, accompanying his station fire chief. He unselfishly volunteered numerous times to represent his fire station as Sparky the Dog or to act as a tour guide during public relations events. For a short time, Shane was also a volunteer firefighter in Kingsville, Texas.

Shane will be dearly missed and remembered for so many things. He had a love for the outdoors, a deep passion for his wife and five beautiful children, and a genuine desire to serve His Savior and Lord Jesus Christ. Shane’s final written words were:

I am (despite my circumstances) still at peace even in the worst of situations. My Proclamation to the World is that while here on this earth, if you want your life to mean anything it has to have meaning through Christ Jesus. When He is able to rule your life you have such a peace because your troubles and daily battles are no longer your problem. You can now relinquish them into the hands of the living God Christ Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:54-55, 57-58 KJV