Francis Xavier O'Shea

Augusta, GA – Francis Xavier O’Shea was born in Queens, NY on May 14, 1932, in the depths of the “Great Depression.” He lived an incredibly rich, blessed life for 94 years.

His parents were Thomas O’Shea and Ethel (Mahoney) O’Shea. His father Thomas (Pop) was a NYC police officer. Francis had one brother, Tom. He is survived by his six children, Colleen, Jim, Tom, Cathleen, Brian and Kevin and his third wife Magda Newland, along with 16 grandchildren and 20 great grandchildren and counting.

Francis attended St. John’s Prep where, as a senior starting forward, he helped his team win the 1950 NYC CHSAA basketball Championship. He then attended St. John’s University and went to the University of Notre Dame where he earned his PhD in chemistry.

Francis met his first wife, Roseanne Yoerg, in 1949. She became a registered nurse, and in December 1954, they were married. They moved to South Bend while Francis worked on his PhD, and the following year their first child, Colleen, was born. Their second child, Jim, was born about 2 years later, and a few weeks later, Francis finished his PhD, and he and Roseanne moved back east.

They moved to Naugatuck, CT in 1957 where Francis began a long and distinguished career as a research chemist at the Naugatuck Chemical Company, later named Uniroyal. He retired in 1997 with (#) patents in his name.

Francis and Roseanne then moved in 1997 to College Station, Texas to be closer to three of their children and several grandchildren. Sadly, Roseanne developed lymphoma and passed away in 1999.

Two years later, Francis married Delores Shanahan. In late 2007, he moved to Long Island to be with her full-time while she struggled with Alzheimer’s. Delores passed away in 2014, and Francis moved to Augusta GA to be closer to several of his children and grandchildren. There he met Magda with whom he shared a love for classical music and faith. They were married in August of 2014.

Francis was devoted to the idea of social justice and spent many years in his retirement volunteering for organizations like St. Vincent de Paul’s and CMONA. A fan of Victor Frankel’s book Man’s Search for Meaning, Francis believed that “the greatest task for any person is to find meaning in his or her life.” He succeeded in finding meaning in both family and faith.

Thomas Poteet & Son Funeral Directors, 214 Davis Rd., Augusta, GA 30907 (706) 364-8484. Please sign the guestbook at www.thomaspoteet.com