Son of Michael Sheahan of Ballyguiltenane and Bridget née McElligott. Birth record at https://civilrecords.irishgenealogy.ie/churchrecords/images/birth_returns/births_1892/02342/1875851.pdf. Brother of Mortimer Sheahan.

Bill Sheahan's body was exhumed from the battlefield cemetery and repatriated to Ireland by the United States Government in May 1922 (Freeman's Journal, 8 May 1922, p. 6; Cork County Eagle & Munster Advertiser, 13 May 1922, p. 2), when it was buried in Kilfergus Cemetery, but was left unmarked.

Irish Independent, 5 June 1922, p. 2: "The remains of Sergt. Wm. Sheahan, U.S. Army, who was killed the day before the Armistice between the Allies and Germany, were re-interred at Kilfergus, Glin. The coffin (of lead) was draped with the Stars and Stripes."

A rededication service was held at Kilfergus Cemetery on 10 October 2021, when the name of Bill Sheahan was added to the existing headstone. The rededication leaflet was published in the Bygone Days in Glin Facebook group, and read as follows:
"An old black and white photo of a soldier proudly rested in a gilded frame on the mantle in my Grandmother's house. It was there for as long as I could remember. It was alongside the sea of faces of other family members whose pictures hung on the wall, frozen in time. Before that the picture had been in my Grandmother's Father's house for as long as she could remember.
I was curious and was told that he was my great-great-uncle, and that he was a hero. An aura of mystery always lingered in the air, like a hidden or an unfinished story. "He died so young, during the last month of the war" were fragments of memories that were retold. Unfortunately, In WWI millions of men were tragically killed on the battlefields and the details of their stories were unknown but buried with them in the trenches. Today, 103 years later, we are fortunate that we are at last able to commemorate and tell the full story of our ancestor Colour Sergeant William J. Sheahan and his remarkable life.
Bill Sheahan as he was known in the army, is one of the millions of young soldiers who fought against oppression and through their efforts they are the reason we are blessed with our freedom and democracy today.
Born in Ballyguiltenane, Glin Co. Limerick in 1892, he emigrated to America to joing his brother Patrick Sheahan. Upon his arrival he became a porter in New York. Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army on the 9th of November 1914 aged 22, standing 6ft 1" in height, which at that time was a rarity, he became a private in the famous 'Fighting Irish 69th'. 'The Fighting 69th' is a well-known group, with books recounting their war stories, such as 'Duffy's War', and 'The Doughboys'. A film was released in 1940 called 'The Fighting 69th'. The soldiers are immortalised in the song 'The Fighting 69th' by The Wolfe Tones.
Bill served for a period of time patrolling the U.S. Mexican border before being sent to fight in WWI. Working his way up through the ranks from Lance Corporal, Sergeant, to Colour Sergeant which was the last post he held before his death.
Bill was posted overseas to France on the 5th of November 1917. Fr Francis Duffy, the famous catholic priest who was chaplain to the Irish soldiers transcribed his experiences of WWI in his book 'Fr Duffy's Story' published in 1919.
Our relative Bill Sheahan is noted on numerous occasions including some light-hearted experiences with his comrades. His humanity towards the civilians he liberated is highlighted. One such example is when they advanced to a small village in France that had been held for almost four years by the Germans, its French citizens were overjoyed by the sight of these New Yorkers as they were now liberated.
Duffy recounts: Regimental Colour Sergeant, 26-year-old Bill Sheahan, a native of County Limerick was taken aback at the condition of the French women and children, to him they looked like they had "suffered considerably from torture and starvation". When they realised that they were no longer in captivity they broke down and wept.
In the Argonne Sector just outside Paris on the 15th October 1918, just one month before the war ended, Bill was tragically killed. "Colour Sergeant Bill Sheahan was gone too, blown to smithereens".
His death was graphically recounted in Duffy's War, as a soldier had spoken to him seconds before his death in the next foxhole. Following a direct hit from a shell all that was recognisable of Bill was a belt with his initials W.S.
His remains were originally buried in France. Once the war had ended, the U.S. Army put in place a programme to repatriate the bodies back to their families. In May 1922 Bill's remains were returned to Ireland along with 63 of his fellow Irish soldiers.
A U.S. soldier accompanied the body of Bill Sheahan all along the journey back to Ireland, through Dublin, Foynes, Glin, and then overnight in the church, until he was buried here in this grave.
For the Irish who returned home after the war, their fate was compounded by the political situation of the time and the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence. This may go some way to explain why Bill Sheahan's name was not written on the headstone at the time. But while his grave was unmarked his memory never faded from the hearts and minds of those who knew and loved him.
Today we are proud to tell his story.
To persevere in a time of oppression, uncertainty, and the looming fear of not knowing if today is your last day on earth was a reality for all the brave soldiers who fought in WWI. Yet they sacrificed their lives and their futures because they were patriots for their countries who wanted a better tomorrow for generations to come.
"A true soldier fights not because he hates what is in front of him, but because he loves what is behind him," and this is the story of William J. Sheahan untold…
Kelly Rose Donnellan"

Source: Find a Grave