November 04, 2019
Hon. Donald F. Shea ’50 & ’06Hon.; former PC President’s Council member, R.I. Supreme Court justice
Hon. Donald F. Shea ’50 & ’06Hon., a longtime member of the College’s Providence President’s Council who had an accomplished judicial career, died Aug. 14, 2019.
Justice Shea was born in Pawtucket, R.I., and grew up in Valley Falls, R.I., before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1943. He served in both the European and Pacific theaters, participating in the invasions of Normandy and Okinawa. Upon his discharge, he enrolled at Providence College, earning a bachelor’s degree in social science. He earned his law degree from Georgetown University and practiced law in the Washington, D.C., area before returning to Rhode Island.
Justice Shea served on PC’s Providence President’s Council for 18 years, concluding in 2018. In 2006, he received an honorary doctorate in civil law from PC.
He was a lifelong civil servant to the state of Rhode Island, most notably in the judiciary. Justice Shea enjoyed a distinguished career that culminated in 14 years as an associate justice of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. That post followed nine years as a judge for the state Superior Court. After retiring from the Supreme Court in 1995, he continued mediating cases on appeal for 10 more years.
Justice Shea’s service to Rhode Island, however, preceded even his time on the bench. He also served Gov. Frank Licht as his executive assistant, a position he assumed after representing Riverside, R.I., for eight years in the state House of Representatives.
He is survived by his five children, including Michaela Shea McInnis, Esq. ’77, Sara Shea McConnell, R.N. ’81; 11 grandchildren, including Michael Shea ’02; and two great-grandchildren. He was the husband of the late Ursula Rafferty Shea.
His life was celebrated Aug. 20, 2019, at a Mass of Christian Burial at St. Sebastian’s Church in Providence. Burial was in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, East Providence.
