CDR Edward J. Shaughnessy

Edward J. Shaughnessy, 95, Retired Navy Commander Edward Joseph Shaughnessy died peacefully on May 13, 2011 in Naples, FL. He was 95. CDR Shaughnessy was born and raised in Waltham, MA. He lived in Vienna, VA for over 40 years and lived in Naples at the time of his death. CDR Shaughnessy began his 23-year military career as a supply officer with the Navy after receiving his commission in July 1941 and graduating from the Navy Supply Corps School at Harvard in February, 1942. Attached to the First Navy Construction Battalion ("Seabees"), he was stationed in the South Pacific from March 1942 to December 1943, supporting the invasion of Guadalcanal and related operations. He then served as a supply officer on the staff of the Commander 4th Fleet in the South Atlantic and finished the war at the submarine base in New London, CT. After the war, he completed several Supply Corps assignments, including serving on the USS Block Island (CVE 106) during the Korean War, as an officer on the staff of the Commander in Chief, Pacific, Pearl Harbor, HI and at SPCC in Mechanicsburg, PA as Planning Officer. He retired in September 1964 as a Commander on the staff of the Chief, Bureau of Ships, Washington, DC, after 23 years of active duty. In the 1950's, while serving on the staff of the Commander in Chief, Pacific, he completed an extensive survey of the Military Assistance Groups ("MAGS") and Joint Military Assistance Groups ("JUSMAGS") in Cambodia, South Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan and other countries in the Far East. CDR Shaughnessy graduated from St. Mary's High School, Waltham, MA (Class of 1934) and from Manhattan College, Riverdale, NY (Class of 1938). In 1947, selected by the Navy, he received an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Following his retirement from the Navy, he joined Planning Research Corporation ("PRC"), remaining there for more than 30 years. While at PRC, he worked on such programs as the Space Shuttle Program at NASA and the Automated Patent Program at the Patent and Trademark Office. He conducted management and logistics studies for various federal and state government agencies including OSHA, the Chief of Naval Operations and the New York State Hospital System. CDR Shaughnessy was active in sports and politics in his hometown. He played semi-professional baseball in the Boston area from 1935 to 1941, including a season playing for the Glace Bay, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia team in 1936. He was elected to the Waltham School Committee in 1939, at the age of 23, but resigned in 1941 to accept his commission in the Navy. CDR Shaughnessy had a lifelong interest in teaching. He served as Adjunct Professor at Penn State University and George Washington University in the 1960's. For 25 years he held various positions at Southeastern University including Adjunct Professor, Department Head, Dean and Dean Emeritus, retiring in 1985. CDR Shaughnessy was an active member of Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church in Vienna, VA. He served two terms as the chairman of the Parish Council, was a Lector and Cantor for more than 30 years and a member of the Resurrection Choir. He was particularly active in pro-life issues, including ministering to the elderly. In addition, he conducted courses on Scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the documents of Pope John Paul II, the documents of Vatican II and the History of the Catholic Church. CDR Shaughnessy's wife, Mary Flannery Shaughnessy, also of Waltham, MA and a veteran of World War II, died in 1994 after almost 49 years of marriage. He is survived by eight children: Maureen P. Fuller of Crofton, MD, Dr. Edward J. Shaughnessy of Durham, NC, Coleman P. Shaughnessy of Chantilly, VA, Thomas J. Shaughnessy of Manassas, VA, Deirdre Shaughnessy Alfred of San Diego, CA, Mary A. Wickham of Naples, FL, Colleen M. Shaughnessy of Vienna, VA and Reilly M. Shaughnessy of San Diego, CA. "Pops" was the proud patriarch to his 27 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Visitation will be at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Vienna, VA on August 18, 2011 from 7-9 pm with the Holy Rosary recited at 8 pm. A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at Our Lady of Good Counsel Catholic Church on August 19, 2011 at 10:30 am. Burial with full military honors will be thereafter at Arlington National Cemetery.