Harry L. Shank

Harry L. Shank, 94, passed away November 30, 2024. He was the husband of the late Cecile F. (Allard) Shank and the former husband of Regina M. Sprague. Born in Milroy, Pennsylvania he was a son of the late Vernon L. and Ruth (Wagner) Shank.

Harry grew up in Milroy, PA and attended Armagh – Brown High School in Reedsville, PA. After high school, he joined the Navy and was stationed in Quonset as a parachute rigger from August 1948 to July 1952.

After the Navy, Harry joined the Army Reserves, worked for Brown & Sharpe from 1952 to 1953, and aerospace manufacturer Pratt and Whittney from 1953 to 1955. In 1955 Harry went to work at Lessona Corp., a Warwick manufacturer of textile machinery where he worked for 30 years. He left in 1985, one of the last employees out the door when the company closed up shop and moved south.

After leaving Leesona Harry held a few odd jobs until he landed at the Providence Post Office in 1986. He worked there until he retired in 1992.

In Harry’s retirement he would winter down in Florida at Nalcrest with his wife Cecile.

He is survived by four children, Karen Bookbinder, Kevin Shank, Kregg Shank and Kathy Medeiros, seven grandchildren, eight great grandchildren,and a sister Nancy Coffey. He is also survived four step children, Donald Crepeau, Dennis Crepeau, Michael Crepeau and Karen Bell, six step grandchildren and many step great grandchildren. He was the brother of the late Robert Brown Shank, Blaine Shank and Janet Shank.

Funeral service Friday December 13th at 11:00 am at the Hill Funeral Home, 822 Main St., East Greenwich. Burial with military honors will be in St. Jean the Baptiste Cemetery, Bellingham, MA. Visitation will be held prior to the service from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. In lieu flowers donations in his memory may be made to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, 200 Niantic Ave., Providence, RI 02907 www.rifoodbank.org or to the Wounded Warrior project www.woundedwarriorproject.org