Tributes

Leo Bernard Shanley, Jr., a decorated U.S. Army veteran and beloved husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away on August 23 at the age of 85. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Bette (Glinberg) Shanley; his five children: Leo B. Shanley III (Louise), Jean M. Lyon (Clifford), Paul S.Shanley, Timothy P. Shanley and Helen A. French (David); seven grandchildren: Kelsea Owens (Luke), Michael, Joseph and Caroline Shanley, Samuel and Benjamin Lyon, and Joshua French; and one great-grandson, Jackson Owens. He is preceded in death by his late wife Marion (Muller) Shanley. Leo was born in Chicago on January 23, 1937, son of the late Leo B. Shanley and Grace (Quinn) Shanley. He and his older sister, the late Sr. Leonie Shanley, SSJ, grew up all around the U.S., following the career of Leo Sr., a construction engineer. Some of the places they lived include Davenport, Iowa; Hobbs, New Mexico; Erie, Pennsylvania; and eventually Merion Station, Pennsylvania. He attended high school at Malvern Preparatory School in Pennsylvania and went on to Dayton University in Ohio, graduating in 1959 with a Bachelor of Science in Geology. In 1960, Leo was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. He was an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) officer, who served on several continents at bases including Ft. Benjamin Harrison, Indiana; Hohenfels, Germany; Vicenza, Italy, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland; Saigon and Quinhon, Republic of Vietnam; Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; Berlin, Germany; Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey; and Daegu, Korea. Leo won several awards from the U.S. Army in recognition of his service. These honors included the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal, and the Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters. He later worked for the U.S. Department of the Army in a civilian capacity as a Supervisory Logistic Management Specialist; he managed logistics for Patriot Missile batteries during the First Gulf War. He represented the U.S. to The Hague, where he advised on how to best reduce landmine proliferation. He won the Meritorious Civilian Service Award for this service. As a civilian consultant, he provided expert support to U.S. non-proliferation efforts in various countries. Leo and Bette loved to travel together, and over the course of his life he visited over 50 countries, seeing every continent save Antarctica. Family members remember Leo’s keen sense of humor and abiding love for military history, as well as his impressive coin and stamp collections. He took great pride in being Pops to seven grandchildren and one great-grandson. Leo was active in his Catholic faith, for over 20 years at Holy Family Catholic Church in Woodbridge, Virginia, and more recently at Good Shepherd Parish in Alexandria. A viewing will be held on August 31 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Jefferson Funeral Chapel, 5755 Castlewellan Drive, in Alexandria, Virginia. Funeral services will follow on September 1 at 10:30 a.m. and will be held at Good Shepherd Catholic Church, 8710 Mount Vernon Highway, Alexandria. He will be interred in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his memory to the charity of your choice.

Tributes

Leo Bernard Shanley, Jr. LTC (Ret) US Army

January 23, 1937 - August 23, 2022