Richard Shanks Devoted Time To Family, Community Service

Richard C. Shanks, once the mayor of Lake City before it became part of Seattle in the 1950s and an attorney who practiced in that area for 37 years, died Wednesday from complications of cancer and kidney failure.

Recitation of the Rosary is scheduled today at 2 p.m. at Hoffner Fisher & Harvey Chapel, 508 N. 36th St., Seattle. A funeral Mass will be celebrated tomorrow at 11 a.m. at St. Bridget's Church, 4900 N.E. 50th St., Seattle.

The father of 12 - eight boys and four girls - Mr. Shanks shared his love for flying and baseball with his family.

When the children were small, he'd pack six or seven of them in a small plane for a flight "because we were so light," said his son, Bill Shanks of Edmonds.

He said his father also would get as many of the kids as possible up at 6 in the morning for baseball "spring training," including calisthenics. He also was an avid Seattle Rainiers and Mariners fan.

Mr. Shanks took every chance he could to fly light planes. His widow, Patricia Shanks, said flying relieved him of the stress of practicing law. He held a pilot's license for more than 30 years.

He also was a boater, taking family outings to Victoria, B.C.,the San Juans and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. "He always enjoyed being in control of those vehicles," said his wife of 46 years. "He was a Type-A personality. Lawyers have to make a lot of decisions and take charge. He was that kind of person who saw something completely through if at all possible."

Mr. Shanks was born in Seattle in 1926. He graduated from O'Dea High School and received his law degree from Gonzaga University Law School in 1954. Gonzaga awarded him an honorary degree in 1967.

He served in the Navy during World War II. Over the years, he devoted himself to community service, mostly in Lake City. He was a member of the Catholic War Veterans; a past Grand Knight of Seattle Council No. 676, Knights of Columbus; the Lake City Elks Lodge, and a member and past president of the Lake City Rotary Club and the Lake City Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Shanks also helped start a parade in Lake City celebrating Pioneer Days. He enjoyed operating a booth along with other Rotarians at an annual Everett air show .

In addition to his wife, Mr. Shanks is survived by his children: Richard Jr., Thomas, Patricia, John and Theodore, all of Seattle; Mike and Bill of Edmonds; Colleen, Steilacoom; Joseph, Woodway; Anthony, Kirkland; Susan Bassett, Redmond, and Mary Brobeck, Snohomish.

Other survivors include a sister, Betty Bannon, Seattle; a brother, James Shanks, Elk Grove, Calif.; 15 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

The family asks that remembrances be made to the Swedish Hospital Tumor Institute, 1221-25 Madison St., Seattle, 98104, or to the St. Vincent de Paul Society of St. James Cathedral, 804 9th Ave., Seattle 98104.