Mark T Sheehan

Mark T Sheehan, San Francisco, died at home on April 8. He was born to Katherine and Mark T. Sheehan Sr, on June 28, 1927, in Wallingford, CT, and was a long-time resident of the Washington, DC, area. Sheehan began his professional career as a journalist, working for Connecticut newspapers. He moved to Washington DC in the late 1950s and served as deputy world news editor for the Associated Press. He joined the administration of President John F Kennedy in 1961, serving in the US Department of Treasury as speechwriter for Secretary Douglas Dillon. He moved to the State Department in 1966 and served as Director of the Office of Policy Guidance and then as Assistant Spokesman for the Paris Peace Talks. From 1970 to 1990 he was Assistant Director of Public Affairs for the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department. He left to join trade associations serving the newspaper industry before retiring in 1996. Sheehan earned his law degree from George Washington University and undergraduate degree from Brown University, both with honors. He also attended Yale and Princeton Universities. Sheehan was an Air Force veteran, serving from 1946-48. Surviving him are his wife, Margaret, of the home; stepdaughter Linda Putsis and step-son-in-law William Putsis Jr of North Carolina; and nephew Ed Lee. His sister, Barbara Hammond, brother-in-law, Jay Hammond, and his daughter, Cordelia Sheehan McMinn, predeceased him. Funeral services will be held on May 8th at Skylawn Memorial Park at 888 Lifemark Rd, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019. Zoom broadcast will be available. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to The Wounded Warrior Project.