Obituaries

Portsmouth Realtor Joe Shanley Dead at 59

A celebration of Shanley's life will be held on Dec. 8 at 10 a.m. at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in New Castle.

Joseph John Shanley, 59, died Wednesday, November 28, 2012.

Joe was born on May 30, 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the son of James and Joanne Shanley. He was married to his loving wife, Cindi, for 33 years and had one daughter, Tristan, who recently married Michael Riestenberg.

Joe attended Saint Patrick School of Portsmouth, where he was the favorite pet of the Sisters. At Saint Thomas Aquinas High School of Dover, Joe, a diligent student, found time to become a star athlete and make the 1971 NH All-State football team. Joe attended Lehigh University and the University of New Hampshire. At Lehigh, he was famous for his acerbic wit and creative antics. His tenure as fraternity social chairman was legendary.

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Joe was the owner of Shanley Realtors and Auctioneers, LLC and was very a very active member of the Seacoast community. He was past president of the New Hampshire Realtors Association, Director of the Northern New England Real Estate Network, and Member of the New Hampshire Commercial Investment Board of Realtors. He was the inaugural recipient of the Eileen D. Foley award for World Peace issued by Friends Forever. Joe was also the recipient of the Spirit of Seacoast Volunteer Award in 2007-2008 and received the Paul E. Harris Award from the Portsmouth Rotary Club. As Master of Ceremonies at the Annual Friends Forever St. Patrick’s Day Roast, Joe’s gifts of humor and storytelling were on full display. He was the highlight of the evening.

Joe’s sense of humor and quick wit were his stock in trade. He was the opening act for celebrated comedian Steven Wright at the Music Hall for the benefit of Cross Roads House. With his auctioneering talents, Joe raised millions of dollars in support of local agencies. Among them are The Foundation for Seacoast Health, City Year, Special Olympics, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, New Generation, Inc., UNH Athletics, American Heart Association, Portsmouth Lions Club, Portsmouth New Hampshire School System, Friends Forever. For over thirty years, Joe gave generously to a multitude of non-profit organizations.

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Joe is the son of James A. Shanley and the late Joanne Hazzard Shanley. He is survived by his wife Cindi, whom he adored, and his daughter Tristan, the light of his life, and her husband Michael Riestenberg; his step-mother Marie Downing; his brother James and his wife Karen Battles; his sister Mary Jane Keane and her husband Thomas and their four children Jonathan, Matthew, Kevin and Thomas; his sister Brenda and her husband John Strucker; his brother Michael and his wife Luba Afanasyeva; his brother-in-law Scott Pappas and his children Megan and Missy; his sister-in-law Kassha St. Jean and her husband John and their children Nicholas, Ashley and Taylor; and his beloved aunts Mary Ellen Serino and Martha Shanley Hass.

The family extends its invitation to attend a celebration of Joe’s life on December 8th, 2012, at 10 a.m. at the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel, New Castle, N.H. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Joe’s memory to any of the above mentioned charities.

Submitted by the Farrell Funeral Home, Portsmouth

 


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