Father Lawrence Edward Shinnick passed away on March 13 at the age of 85 in Spokane, Washington. 

Born Sept. 10, 1940, in Newport, Rhode Island, Father Shinnick was the son of Irving Eugene and Mary Elizabeth (O’Donnell) Shinnick. The family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when Father Shinnick was a boy. He was the first in his family to graduate high school, and he went on to receive an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Institute of Technology. He also received a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame where he met Carolyn, his future wife. Additionally, while working as a federal prosecutor in our nation’s capital for the Department of Justice, he earned both a Master of Business Administration and a Master of Laws in Taxation from George Washington University.

On Aug. 5, 1967, Father Shinnick married Carolyn in Dallas, Texas. They shared a deep Catholic faith and fostered in each other a steadfast love of God and a special devotion to His Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. The couple was blessed with four children, and they worked to instill a love of Christ in their family. 

After the death of his beloved wife, Father Shinnick entered Pope St. John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Massachusetts. On June 4, 2005, he was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Birmingham in Alabama by Bishop David E. Foley. Father Shinnick served as parochial vicar in several parishes in Birmingham and Huntsville and then was assigned as pastor of St. Leo the Great Catholic Church in Demopolis. 

Health issues related to Parkinson’s disease forced Father Shinnick to retire in October of 2021. He devotedly continued to fulfill his priestly vocation in retirement, as his health allowed, as a confessor and spiritual advisor. He cherished the many friends he was blessed to have from his 31 years of marriage and from his nearly 21 years as a Catholic priest. Father Shinnick was deeply grateful to be able to continue to serve his Lord and Savior through his retirement years as a beloved member of St. Charles Parish in Spokane.

Father Shinnick was preceded in death by his parents and wife. He is survived by his four children: Michael L. Shinnick (Minde), Daniel P. Shinnick (Maureen Anne), David M. Shinnick (Maureen Kelly), and Kathleen A. Smith (George). He also is survived by twelve grandchildren: Andrew, Kelly, Matthew, Daniel, Molly, Paul, Abigail, John, Caroline, James, David and Anne; and by his dear sister Marie Birney and many treasured nieces and nephews.

The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Charles Catholic Church in Spokane on Saturday, March 28, at 11 a.m. Burial and committal will be at Calvary Hill Cemetery in Dallas, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully suggests a donation to a Catholic organization.

Eternal rest grant upon him O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.