Gerald T. O'Shea

Gerald T. O’Shea, of Vienna, Virginia, passed away peacefully on July 18, 2026 at the age of 86.

Gerry was born in Brooklyn, New York on November 29, 1939, to Margaret O’Shea (née Curtin) and Jeremiah O’Shea, recent immigrants from Ireland. He grew up alongside two siblings, his brother James and sister Eileen, in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood.

Gerry loved sharing stories of his Brooklyn childhood, whether using rolled up newspapers for footballs, playing stickball in the street, or waiting for fly balls outside Ebbets Field. He never forgave the Dodgers for leaving Brooklyn.

A strong student from an early age, Gerry had great ambition to make a better life for himself, which led him to join the U.S. Navy on his 17th birthday. He served as an electrician on the U.S.S. Salem from 1957-59 and spoke with great enthusiasm of his adventures in the Mediterranean while serving his country during the Cold War. Gerry was honorably discharged from the Navy on St. Patrick’s Day, 1959 in Boston, Massachusetts, a place he would visit regularly in his later years to attend U.S.S. Salem reunions.

Following the Navy, Gerry attended St. John’s University in New York. Not long after graduating, he joined IBM, the start of a 30-year career in sales that spanned selling office products in Manhattan, personal computers to the U.S. State Department, and data storage solutions to the intelligence agencies. Gerry was a dependable and consistently successful sales executive. He was particularly proud of winning 12 IBM “Golden Circle” awards, an annual recognition given for the firm’s top performers. Following his retirement from IBM, Gerry continued his work in technology sales at EMC and NCR and as an independent consultant.

A voracious reader, Gerry spent most of his weekends with a rolled-up magazine in his back pocket and always had a stack of books on his nightstand. His love of reading and curiosity led him to Atlantic City in the late 1990s to try out for his favorite television show, Jeopardy. He also had a great appreciation for the outdoors, sharing this with his family through hikes in the Shenandoah Valley, weekend camping trips, or long bike rides on the W&OD Trail. Gerry loved the game of basketball, which was passed to all four of his children. He was a CYO coach at Our Lady of Good Counsel and approached his coaching duties with the same level of detail he did in his work, drawing inspiration from legendary coach Morgan Wootten.

Gerry often talked about how lucky he was in life, and his sense of gratitude was with him throughout his illness and until his final hours. Fittingly, his last words spoken were “thank you” to the caregiver helping him with his breakfast.

Gerry is preceded in death by his parents Margaret and Jeremiah and sister Eileen O’Shea. He is survived by his wife of 52 years Linda O’Shea (née Mangold), and his children Kerry Litonjua (Mannix), Gerry O’Shea, Jr. (Sarah), Michael O’Shea (Nicole), and Brian O’Shea (Kim). He was loved dearly as “Poppy” to his nine grandchildren: Abbie, Noah, Ellie, Blake, Owen, Molly, Patrick, Donovan, and Fiona. Gerry is also survived by his brother James and a large extended family of many nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws.

A visitation will be held at Money & King Funeral Home in Vienna, Virginia on Thursday, July 30 from 5:00 – 8:00PM. A mass of Christian burial will be held Friday, July 31 at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church at 11:00AM.

The family requests no flowers but donations in Gerry’s memory can be made by check to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul/OLGC Conference, addressed to “SVDP, OLGC Conference” 8601 Wolftrap Road, Vienna, VA, 22182.