Bartholomew “Lex” A. Shirreffs November 10, 1945 – December 19, 2018 Share this obituary Send Sympathy Gifts Upload Photo| View/Sign Guest Book| Send Sympathy Card Lex Shirreffs, 73, and father of four, passed away at home in Bryn Mawr on December 19, 2018. He is survived by his loving children Alexandra, Edmund, Daniel and John and his former wife Cecilia Cannan. Friends and loved ones are invited to join the family for a Funeral Mass on Saturday, December 22nd at 10 am at Our Mother of Good Counsel Church (31 Pennswood Rd.
, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010). Relatives and friends can pay respects to the family at a Viewing at the Church from 9 to 10 am. Mass will be followed by a brief interment service Calvary Cemetery.
Lex lived his whole life in Bryn Mawr’s 19010 zip code. Through his 35 years of work as an employee of the US Postal Service in Bryn Mawr, Lex had a photographic memory of the roads of the Main Line. Through his service delivering mail, Lex had a wide net of acquaintances – rarely could he get through a trip to the store without seeing someone he knew.
Lex had an active childhood. He spent his summers visiting his mother, Jane’s, hometown of Mount Pleasant, PA in the hills outside of Pittsburgh. He ran track, played basketball, and caddied golf – beginning a lifelong love of sports.
A dream was fulfilled when Lex got to play a round of golf at Pebble Beach during a 1982 trip to CA. Lex was an avid Philadelphia sports fan; one of his favorite parts of retirement was getting to watch all of the Philadelphia Phillies games. Following an accident that left him paraplegic in 1987, Lex became an advocate for disability rights.
Through the Philadelphia Rowing Program for the Disabled (now Philadelphia Adaptive Rowing), he participated in the Bayada Regatta. Lex even got to combine his advocacy with his love of trivia when he had the chance to audition for Jeopardy! in 1995 after writing its producers a letter to encourage better inclusion of people living with disabilities on the show.
During last few years of his USPS career, Lex helped the Post Office improve accessibility in his role as the Disability Program Coordinator for the Philadelphia District, then housed at the 30th Street Station office. After graduating from Monsignor Bonner High School in 1963, Lex joined the US Marine Corps and served for two years (1966 – 1968) before returning to Bryn Mawr to take classes at Temple University. Lex now joins his family – his brother, Edmund Francis Jr.; father Edmund Francis Sr.; and mother Jane Shirreffs (nee Murphy) – in eternal rest at Calvary Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to OMGC Church (omgcparish.org/) or to support the Philadelphia Adaptive Rowing program (www. bayada.com/regatta/donations. asp).
SERVICES Viewing Saturday, December 22, 2018 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM Our Mother of Good Counsel Church 31 Pennswood Rd. , Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 Get Directions on Google Maps Funeral Mass Saturday, December 22, 2018 10:00 AM Our Mother of Good Counsel Church 31 Pennswood Rd. , Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 Get Directions on Google Maps Burial Saturday, December 22, 2018 11:30 AM Calvary Cemetery 235 Matsonford Rd.
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