News

By Rich Pollack

HIGHLAND BEACH —    Funeral services were held Dec. 15 for Highland Beach Town Commissioner Dennis Sheridan, who died Dec. 11 following a recent illness. He was 77.
Mr. Sheridan was elected to the Town Commission in 2011 and served three years before being re-elected in March of this year.
    A licensed funeral director for 42 years, Mr. Sheridan moved to Highland Beach from Mineola, N.Y., more than 20 years ago and was an active member of St. Lucy Catholic Church.
Before being elected to the Town Commission, he served on the  town’s Planning Board and Census Board. He also served as president of the Monterey House Condominium Association for more than a decade and previously served as the association’s vice president and secretary.
    Unable to attend Town Commission functions since late October, Mr. Sheridan underwent surgery in November to remove a tumor from his stomach but never fully recovered.
    In a letter to other commissioners that was read at the town’s November commission meeting, Mr. Sheridan called for civility and an end to bickering among the commissioners as well as by residents.
    “I truly feel the town is blessed with a dedicated Town Commission that is willing to work hard for the betterment of our residents,” he wrote. “It is my wish … that this commission along with our residents can work together for the good of our town and stop all the negativity of these past months. Let us all work together and restore the feeling I first had when I came on the commission, one of friendship, progress and commitment.”
    Mr. Sheridan is survived by his wife of close to 55 years, Barbara, four children and 12 grandchildren.
    A funeral Mass was held at St. Lucy Catholic Church in Highland Beach.