Community Corner

Friends and Family Mourn Over Weekend Deaths

Joseph "Joey" Shay, 43, was killed Saturday in Douglass Township.

Friends and family are mourning the loss of a former Holmdel, N.J. resident.

Joseph Shay, 43 of Yarmouth, Mass. and New York, N.Y., was shot in the head and killed on Saturday in a house in rural Montgomery County outside Philadelphia.

Shay graduated from Holmdel High School in 1986. 

Find out what's happening in Limerick-Royersford-Spring Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The alleged gunman, Mark Richard Geisenheyner, led police on a manhunt over the weekend and was killed Monday by SWAT team gunfire after a six-hour standoff at a house in Trainer, Delaware County.

Police began a hunt for a suspect after finding five people had been shot at a residence at 50 Renninger Road in Gilbertsville, Douglass Township around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Find out what's happening in Limerick-Royersford-Spring Citywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On Sunday, the victims in Saturday's shooting were identified as Paul Shay and his wife Monica, Joseph Shay, Kathryn Erdmann and her son, Gregory.

According to a report by the Associated Press, Joseph Shay is Paul Shay's nephew. 

Joseph Shay and Gregory were shot in the head and killed. 

Gregory's mother and Joseph Shay's girlfriend Kathryn Erdmann, 37 of Fall River, Mass., was shot in the head, as were the Renninger Road house owners Paul Shay, 64 and Monica Shay, 58 of New York, NY. 

By Tuesday evening, 18 Holmdel friends had posted affectionate farewell messages on Joseph L. Shay's webpage vowing they would miss him. 

One message, from Barbara Shay Sigsbury, said, "Sleep peacefully, Joe, we will all miss the incredibly sweet, loving man you had become. So much life was ahead of you. My heart aches.-love, your aunt barbara."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here