Mr. John Patrick Shannon Jr.

Born in Buffalo, New York to John Patrick and Elizabeth Kieffer Shannon on June 26, 1946, John attended elementary school at Our Lady of Lourdes School in Buffalo. He graduated from Canisius High School in 1964 and received a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Detroit in 1969.

After a short time in Los Angeles, John moved to the Washington, D.C. area to work as a patent examiner in the U.S. Patent and Trademark office. While working as a patent examiner, John attended the George Washington University School of Law and subsequently worked in private practice as a patent attorney for nearly forty years at three different firms: Lane, Aitken & McCann; Venable; and in more recent years, Merek, Blackmon and Voorhees.

In 1990, he met Joan Beachner in Arlington, Virginia, and they were married in 1991. They lived in Alexandria, Virginia where they raised three sons: John Patrick III, age 21; Patrick Thomas, age 19; and Thomas Joseph, age 15.

John most enjoyed spending time with his family and friends.

He was an active member of his Alexandria community and St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alexandria, Va., where he served as an usher for more than twenty years.

Friends may call at Demaine Funeral Home, 520 S. Washington St., Alexandria, VA on Wednesday, June 3, 2015 from 5 to 8 pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, June 4, 2015 at 10:30 am. Interment will be at St. Francis Cemetery, St. Paul, KS.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Coletta of Greater Washington, DC, to the Heights School in Potomac, MD or to St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alexandria, VA.