how often does the letter "a" occur in:
derry, nh cornelius j. ‘connie’ shea, 84, of derry, nh, passed away peacefully december 14, 2016 at windham terrace assisted living center.
he was born in lowell on january 15, 1932 and was a son of the late cornelius j. shea and the late annie e. (smith) shea. he was raised in lowell where he attended the area schools, graduating from lowell high school. he later furthered his education at northeastern university earning his associates degree in business.
in 1952, mr. shea enlisted with the united states army during the korean conflict, earning the rank of corporal before his honorable discharge in 1954. after his discharge, he was employed as a procurement manager for gte sylvania and general dynamics for over 30 years during which time he traveled around the world.
connie was a longtime lowell resident and later a dracut resident, before more recently spending time in barefoot bay, florida for many years. four years ago he returned to new hampshire where he began his next chapter of life where he made his home with paul, annie, niki and glenn. he was an avid golfer, enjoyed playing tennis, and traveling. connie was a communicant of st. margaret church in lowell, a member of nabnasset lake country club in westford and a marshall/starter at shaker hills country club.
connie is survived by his eight children, cornelius j. shea and his wife, karen of milford, nh, joanne bernadette shea of lowell, maryann donoghue of derry, nh, walter r. shea and his wife kathleen of chelmsford, eileen m. shea of lowell, ann marie persampieri and her husband, paul of derry, nh, robert c. shea and his wife, kathy of derry, nh, and karen collinsworth and her husband, brett of derry, nh. he is also survived by 18 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren; his sister, ann turner and her husband, tom of chelmsford; and many nieces and nephews.
he was predeceased by his sister the late shirley madison.

on monday, december 19, 2016 his funeral will begin at 9 a.m. at the funeral home. his funeral mass will be offered at 10 a.m. at st. margaret parish, 374 stevens street, lowell.
burial and military honors will follow at st. patrick cemeter.
in lieu of flowers, memorial donations in his name may be made to: alzheimer's foundation of america (afa) alzfdn.org.
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In the text, there are one hundred and seventy-three "a"s.
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