Thomas Shevlin ’64

THOMAS FRANCIS SHEVLIN ’64

Tom Shevlin, formerly of Bronxville, N.Y. and Menlo Park, Calif., passed away on August 13th surrounded by family at his home in Jamestown, R.I. after a life well lived. He was a youthful 75.

Rather than enumerating his accomplishments, Tom asked specifically to emphasize his eternal and deepfelt gratitude to all those who made his life so rich with laughter, joy and faith.

Born on June 20, 1945 to the late Arthur and Regina (Gaffney) Shevlin, Tom will be remembered as a great raconteur with an incomparable joie de vivre.

A devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend, Tom grew up spending summers in Narragansett and the school year at Portsmouth Priory, from which he graduated class of 1964. He earned a business degree from the University of Rhode Island and made a career in finance in New York and San Francisco.

When he was just 14, he met the former Paula M. Scotti, to whom he was married for 50 blissful years. Together they raised five children - four daughters and a son. Perpetually - though happily - outnumbered by the women in his life, he welcomed the addition of each of his sons- and daughters -in-law and reveled in his growing family.

Known for his wispy blonde hair and tortoise shell glasses, Tom was a happy warrior, eternal optimist, and an easy traveler. Always quick with a smile, he had a keen ability to strike up a friendship at a moment’s notice, and was rarely without his camera to document time spent with friends and family.

Blessed with a self-effacing charm and irrepressible good nature, Tom was genuinely interested in people’s lives - rarely missing an occasion to send well wishes or a note of thanks. A master of “Just Checking In,” his voice mails and incoming calls will be sorely missed.

In his younger years, he sailed aboard the S.S. France when crossings were still in fashion; he wore through more than his fair share of dancing shoes and treasured summer afternoons spent at the Dumplings dock.

While his professional achievements were notable, Tom considered his greatest legacy to be his family and friends.

For Tom, clients and coworkers inevitably became part of his life and he a part of theirs. He was especially grateful for the time he spent with the Scotti family, who welcomed him into the fold at a precociously early age, for the lifelong kinships forged at the Dunes Club, and for his campmates at the Bohemian Grove.

Above all, he left wanting to convey how grateful he was to have had a life filled with such good and lasting friendships.

Over the years, he was proud to have served on the boards of several organizations including the Portsmouth Abbey School, San Francisco Zoo, URI Alumni Association, and the Ram Fund.

Professionally, he cut his teeth at Bankers Trust and Citibank before joining J.P. Morgan in New York and later San Francisco. After a nearly 30-year career with J.P. Morgan, he successively brought his talents to U.S. Trust Company, Train, Smith Counsel, and Fiduciary Trust Company, where he served as a managing director. After unsuccessfully retiring in 2018, he joined Capital Counsel, where he ended his career on a high note only this past year.

He was a member of the University Club (New York), The Bohemian Club, Derelicts Camp, Dumplings Association, and the Conanicut Yacht Club.

The Portsmouth Abbey community send its heartfelt condolences and prayers to Tom’s family and friends.