Steven J. O’Shaughnessy

Steven Joseph O’Shaughnessy, age 72, passed away April 19th, 2025, at his home in Cherry Hill, NJ – where the birds continued chirping and the mail kept coming, and the world, in that quiet callous way it has, just kept on going without him.

 He is survived by his four children—Dano, Keri, William, and Ryan—each of whom inherited different parts of his humor, his stubbornness, and his wit. He also leaves behind his granddaughters, Annabella and Zola, who made him beam with pride and joy, as well as his brothers, Doug and Eric, and his sister, Rita.

Steven was deeply driven—by nature, by necessity, or by some quiet, internal engine that never let up. He worked hard at everything he did, whether it was his career, or wearing out the fretboard on his guitar, or the thousands of miles he logged running roads and trails over the years.  Steven worked in the defense industry—an occupation that doesn’t lend itself to cocktail party stories or punchlines, but one which he treated with quiet seriousness and pride, because it mattered. He also ran—often, far, and for reasons not even he could always articulate. Maybe for clarity. Maybe for peace. Maybe because it’s hard to feel anxious when your feet hurt that badly. He also loved betting the ponies—not with reckless abandon, but with a kind of studied devotion. He liked the odds, the rhythm, the unpredictability of it all. A horse race, to him, was part math, part poetry, part cosmic joke. And sometimes he won. If there's an afterlife, he’s probably sitting somewhere quiet, playing guitar, watching a race, and thinking, “Well, this isn’t too bad.” If there's not—well, he still lived a damn good life. He will be loved and missed.

A Memorial Gathering will be held on May 30th at 1:00 PM at PJ Whelihans in Cherry Hill, NJ. Family and friends are invited to come raise a glass and remember him in the way he’d have liked — with music, a little laughter, and no big fuss.

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