June 9 2019: SHEEHAN, Kathleen M.

Kathleen M. Sheehan

Kathleen M. Sheehan, 94, of Silver Spring, a longtime area resident and community activist, died on February 6, 2019. Widow of William J. Sheehan, she was born in Fort Collins, Colorado and grew up in Columbus, Ohio. A cum laude graduate of Ohio State University, President of the Newman Club and elected to Phi Beta Kappa, she worked in Washington, DC for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops’ social action program and later for the U.S. Department of Labor Hearing Loss Task Force and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s noise and air programs. In 1949, she married William J. Sheehan of Massena, NY and former director of the Office of Economic Adjustment in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. As a community and social activist, Ms. Sheehan helped spur the creation of Martin Luther King Park and Swim Center in Montgomery County, by initiating, designing and overseeing a survey of 1300 teens and children in the Colesville/White Oak area. The survey showed the lack of recreational opportunities for kids, teens and families in that area in the late 1960s. As a result, Montgomery County purchased the land from a farmer and established the park. She was a leader with the Colesville Council of Community Congregations (C4), an interfaith group founded in 1968. She worked with C4 to catalyze the creation of the Great Hope Housing Development providing low and moderate income housing in the area. In addition to her work at EPA, she also volunteered for over 25 years with the C4 Clothes Closet (https://c4clothescloset.com) which serves over 2000 Montgomery county residents, expectant mothers and their families by providing free clothing, baby clothes, diapers, furniture household essentials, and linens. She was predeceased by her parents Leo Patrick McCann and Florence Margaret McGonagle and twin sister Eileen Margaret McCann (Gordon). Survivors include her sister, Betty Binder of Columbus, Ohio, and her six children, Kathleen Young of Arlington, Daniel of College Park, Eileen of Albany, California, Patrick of Ijamsville, Maureen Finnegan of Timonium, and Mark of Haymarket, and 12 grandchildren. Services will be held on June 18, 2019 at 11:00 am at St. John the Baptist Silver Spring and burial will be held at Arlington National Cemetery on June 19, 2019 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, contributions to Catholic Relief Services (www.crs.org) would be appreciated.

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