Michael J. Sheridan

Albany-Michael J. Sheridan, 81, entered Eternal Life Thursday, May 27, 2021 at Teresian House. Michael devoted his life to helping others. He did big things like providing opportunities for young people to grow into productive adults and finding jobs for the unemployed or underemployed, to small things like driving elderly voters to the polls and shoveling neighbors’ snow-filled sidewalks. But big or small, everything was done from the heart – out of a true concern for making another person’s life better – that was Michael. His concern for others was nurtured early as the oldest of four children of Michael and Alice McCarra Sheridan, who had emigrated from Ireland. Michael’s unconditional support and love for his sisters, Sheila and Maureen, and his late brother Sean, never wavered. His love for his siblings grew to include their children John, Jessica and Peru. Family was always paramount to Michael and over the years his family and love expanded. In 1979 he married Rosemary O’Neill and they adopted their daughter, Maria, from Venezuela in 1986. Michael was a full participant in Maria’s childhood; they were always ‘on the go’ to movies, fairs, pony rides, trick-or-treating, just about anywhere that promised a fun time! In 2012 Maria and her husband, Dan, gifted Michael with his greatest joy, a grandson, Donovan Michael. Grandfather and grandson shared their unbounded love eve after Michael’s 2014 move to Teresian House (“Poppy’s House”), where they played and shared Oreo cookies and juice. Michael also exhibited his caring nature in his career choices. After graduating from Vincentian Institute in Albany, and Mount St. Mary Seminary in Maryland, he was ordained a priest for the Albany Roman Catholic Diocese in 1965. Michael was very proud of his nine years as a priest; he taught at Keveny Academy in Cohoes and gave fully of himself at parishes in Cohoes and Clifton Park. He then left the priesthood and was laicized by Pope Paul VI. Michael then went into government service and became active in Democratic politics in Albany. Michael worked for the City of Albany for nearly 25 years, serving three mayors – Erastus Corning 2nd, Thomas Whalen and Gerald Jennings. First he administered the CETA Program (Comprehensive Employment & Training Act), placing hundreds of unemployed in regular paying jobs. Mayor Corning then tapped Michael to be the first Executive Director of the Albany City Youth Bureau. In this position, Michael developed and funded after-school programs for hundreds of Albany children and he ran the Summer Youth Employment Program for City teenagers. Michael also cultivated beneficial relationships between the City and numerous nonprofit agencies that provided youth programs, employment, and job training. In addition to his pride in being a life-long Albanian, Michael was proud to be a Democrat and for having served as a Democratic Committeeman in Albany. He put in endless hours visiting his constituents, listing to their concerns, and then finding solutions. On election days, other poll workers were thrilled to see Michael as he was the only one able to unlock the voting machines and always provided lunch and dinner! People who knew or worked with Michael have described him as: highly intelligent, great talker, incisively witty, fair minded, history and politics buff, thoroughbred racing enthusiast, kind to all. These traits made Michael a respected and beloved member of the Albany community. Michael is survived by his wife, Rosemary; their daughter, Maria S. Bruce, her husband Daniel, and their son, Donovan; two sisters, Sheila Sheridan and Maureen Chiaramonte, and her husband Joseph; one nephew, John Chiaramonte; and two nieces, Jessica Chiaramonte and Peru McCarra. Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Michael’s family Tuesday, June 1, 2021 10:00 am to 11:00 am at the Parish of Mater Christi, Albany, NY. His Funeral Mass will follow at 11:00 am. Please only enter the church from the parking lot doorway; masks and social distancing are required. You can view the Mass at YouTube.com/C.ParishofMaterChristi The Rite of Committal will be held at St. Agnes Cemetery, Menands, NY immediately following the Funeral Mass. To leave a message for the family please visit www.McveighFuneralHome.com Those wishing to remember Michael in a special way may send a contribution to Teresian House Foundation, 200 Washington Ave., Ext., Albany, NY 12203.

Tributes

Michael J. Sheridan

June 16, 1939 - May 27, 2021