Joseph M. Sheehan

Joseph Michael SheehanBorn:  January 17, 1937Died:  June 22, 2017 Joseph Michael Sheehan passed away on June 22, 2017 at the age of 80 from complications related to advanced vascular dementia. He died surrounded by his family and in the comfort of Hospice care at Mount Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, MD.He was born to Joseph A. Sheehan and Rosemary Sheehan, nee Eck on January 17, 2017 in Brooklyn, NY at Victory Memorial Hospital and was baptized a Roman Catholic at Saint Patrick's parish in Brooklyn (Bayridge), NY. Joseph lived in Brooklyn with his parents and attended Saint Francis Preparatory also in Brooklyn.  His father, Joseph A. Sheehan, was a New York City Firefighter from Engine Company 68 in Brooklyn, NY.  His mother, Rosemary Sheehan, was a secretary at Saint Ephram’s Catholic Church in Brooklyn, NY and operated a hair salon as well.  Joseph loved spending his summers in Palisades, NJ and at Beach Lake, NJ, with his extended family, the Shannons.  He was very fond of his aunts and uncles and had a special bond with his uncle Mike Sheehan, a New York City Police Department detective.  Upon completion of high school, Joseph studied mechanical engineering at The Catholic University of America (CUA) in Washington DC, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1959 (cum laude).  Joseph furthered his education at CUA and earned his master’s in mechanical engineering in 1961.  He was also a member of the engineering honor society Tau Beta Pi.  While at CUA, he was a cadet in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corp (ROTC) and was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force upon graduation.  In addition, Joseph completed all coursework for a Ph.D., however, he was prevented from full completion due to loss of government funding.After his education, the United States Department of the Navy employed Joseph as an engineer where he specialized in testing and ship design, specifically submarines. His work as an engineer supplanted his role as an officer and, at the behest of the U.S. Navy, he received an Honorable Discharge to concentrate on his work in ship design. Joseph spent most of his career at the David Taylor Naval Research Center (DTNRC) in Carderock, MD, where he designed and tested navy ship hulls. Joseph enjoyed his work in the wave tanks at Carderock and was responsible for notable contributions to ship design that were integrated into the fighting fleet of U.S. war ships.Joseph continued his employment at DTNRC until the early 70’s, when he took a position at Operations Research Corp (ORI). He spent the next nine years at ORI, but decided to return to DTNRC in 1979. A few years later, Joseph began to split his time between DTNRC Carderock and DTNRC In Annapolis, MD. Joseph earned promotions along the way and eventually was promoted to GS-15. While at DTNRC in Annapolis, Joseph became the liaison to the United States Naval Academy and ran a program to continue the alignment of the operations and research of ship design to the end users, officers of the U.S. Navy. His oversight and diligent work with this program resulted in his being invited to be an associate professor in the Engineering Department of the United States Naval Academy, where he taught naval architecture to midshipmen. Joseph remained an associate professor at the USNA until 1996, but continued working for DTNRC in Annapolis. Joseph continued his employment at DTNRC in Annapolis until his retirement in 2006. Joseph's personal life was even more extraordinary than his professional. He met Christina Marie Brown in 1963 while attending a dance at the Catholic Club of Georgetown University where she had previously attended school. In 1964 they married, moved to Bowie, MD, and began their family.  Joseph was the father to 10 born children and 4 miscarried children: Augustine (miscarried) 1965, Mary 1966, Rosemarie 1967, Joseph E. 1968, Michael 1969, William 1970, Francis 1971, Martin 1973, Patrick 1974, Elizabeth 1975, Richard 1976, John 1977 (miscarried), David 1978 (miscarried), and Christian 1979 (miscarried).All of Joseph's children were baptized Catholic at Sacred Heart Parish (16501 Annapolis Road) in Bowie MD. Joseph volunteered for numerous committees at Sacred Heart and was responsible for contributing greatly to the restoration of the Chapel and its grounds on “the hill.” (See the history of Sacred Heart at http://www.sacredheartbowie.org/content.php?id=110.) Joseph also taught CCD for many years and assisted in numerous church functions and events including informal catechism classes in his home, activities at Allview Center (Columbia, MD), and functions related to the Knights of Columbus.  Joseph is survived by his wife, all ten of his children, 25 grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren.In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to Catholic University of America School of Engineering, 620 Michigan Ave, NE, Washington, DC  20064.