James Shannon

Dartmouth - James T. Shannon, 81, of Dartmouth passed away peacefully November 18, 2023 at St. Luke's Hospital surrounded by family. He was the husband of Kathleen (Raposa) Shannon with whom he shared 55 years of marriage.

Born in Fall River, the son of James and Mary (Souza) Shannon, James graduated from St. Peter and Paul School in Fall River and DeLaSalle Academy in Newport. He earned his B.A. at Stonehill College and his M.A. at URI.

James taught briefly at St. Louis School and Mount St. Mary Academy in Fall River before moving on to Old Rochester Regional in Mattapoisett. He taught at ORR until retiring. He was coordinator of the English Department there for many years. After retiring he continued to teach part-time at BCC and UMass Dartmouth. He was a member of the N.E.A. of MA.

James loved teaching, but at his core he was a writer. His first published piece was a parody of Alfred Noyes' "The Highwayman" in MAD Magazine, 1965. His subsequent work included several short stories and essays published in literary anthologies. He also published a mystery novel, Dying for Attention, in 2014.

He also loved trivia. He was a member of several local trivia teams and was a five-day champion on the show Jeopardy.

Survivors include his widow; a son Christopher J. Shannon and his wife Bess Libby Shannon of Chelmsford; a daughter Jessica Shannon Smith and her husband Rick Smith of New Bedford; a sister Carolyn Carvalho of Fall River; and five grandchildren: Victoria and Abigail Smith, Nonny and Noah Shannon, and Ira Libby. James was the brother of the late Claire Carvalho.

A visitation for James will be held Saturday, December 16, 2023 from 1:00PM to 4:00PM at Waring-Sullivan Home at Dartmouth, 230 Russells Mills Road, South Dartmouth, MA 02748.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made on his behalf to The Boys and Girls Club of Fall River.