Christopher Brackett Shea

Christopher Brackett Shea, age 52, of Navarre, Florida, passed away unexpectedly on July 23, 2025.

Chris was preceded in death by his mother, Beverly Brackett Shea, and father, Francis Bernard Shea, Jr., of Peachtree City, Georgia.

Chris is survived by his sons, Logan Shea, age 14, and Benjamen Shea, age 12, of Crestview, Florida; stepdaughter, Brittany Baggett (Vinny), age 32, of Newcastle upon Tyne (Newcastle), England, UK; and his brother, Jeffrey Robert Shea of Las Vegas, Nevada; as well as, extended members of the Brackett family and numerous family friends in Peachtree City, and his very dear DRS APS family.

Chris grew up in Peachtree City, Georgia. His passion for music lead him to obtaining his Audio Engineering degree, which in turn lead him to tour with many well-known bands as an early adult. There were so many stories he loved to tell; one of his favorites being about his time working with Rob Thomas. Chris later relocated to Northwest Florida, most recently settling in Navarre.

His career transitioned to defense technology, leading to a very
successful fifteen-plus year career with DRS APS as an APE (Advanced Program Engineer).

Chris was loved by all who knew him. He was kind, charming, and had a sense of humor and wit that often made him the life of the party. He has always been a huge gamer, sci-fi enthusiast, big hockey fan, regular “Meat Church” viewer, and an avid late night Amazon shopper. He loved finding new gadgets and gizmos; the more high tech, the better, but most of all, he loved riding his harley.

Chris would tell everyone he met, “the most important thing in his life were his children”. He stepped into the role of stepfather to Brittany with an open heart. He was a calming influence, lending his ear to listen, learning to love softball because that was Brittany’s passion, and supporting her quietly as she navigated her way through her teenage years.

Logan spent a lot of time bonding with his dad over video games and music. Chris passed on his musical talents to Logan, whom, with Chris’s encouragement, has become a very skilled guitar player. Chris loved to cook all kinds of special meals for the boys, but Logan’s favorite of all was his dad’s biscuits and gravy. Chris loved taking Logan for rides on his Harley.

Benny loved spending time with Chris, learning to play the latest video game or jamming out to Leo Moracchioli, and was probably the one person who was always excited to ride with Chris in his car, lovingly referred to as his “shitbox”. They also shared a love for smoked ribs, and Chris spent a great deal of time perfecting the recipe just for Benny.

Chris and his brother, Jeff, have been known since childhood for their “Shea-nanigans”, the most recent being an epic Hangover weekend in Vegas. Everyone who spent time with the Shea brothers together have always walked away with stories to tell.

Chris was blessed to have a career that he was passionate about, with people that he loved at DRS APE. He genuinely considered the APE team his second family. His closest friends/members of the team were Doug Clay (APE #5) and Jason O’Connor (APE # 8). Chris (APE #38) was also known affectionately by the team as “Pickle Rick” because he loved that episode of Rick & Morty. There were many adventures with Chris and his APE family, both at home, and on the road, most of which probably are not to be spoken of outside of the circle.

A private gathering to celebrate Chris’s life will take place later this fall.

The family requests that flowers not be sent at this time. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network at dsdiagnosisnetwork.org or another charity close to your heart in Chris’s name.