Help support Chris Shea's son, Will

Friends of Chris, colleagues and all who admired his brilliance throughout a life well-lived,

We are all heartbroken by the loss of Chris. But we can help give his son, Will, a boost as he heads off to college at Holy Cross and new adventures this fall. Will just graduated high school, turned 18, currently lives with his mother, Rachel Hartigan, in Maryland and is surrounded by support from his extended family.

We've set a goal of $35,000, but everything is appreciated.

Let's get Will off on the right foot as his next journey begins.

Thanks for considering,

From Chris' friends, colleagues and the Outlook family

Below is the note, penned beautifully by Chris' colleague and former Outlook Editor Adam Kushner, that was sent to staff:

Dear Colleagues,

We are heartbroken to announce the passing of Christopher Shea, an editor in the Outlook section.

Chris, 53, was everything you could hope for in a journalist, a colleague and a friend. Since joining The Post in 2018, he assigned and edited hundreds of outstanding pieces that helped readers understand the world — on an astonishing range of topics. One memorable Outlook cover story used political science to explain why all voters, not just those who backed Donald Trump, change their minds to mirror their leaders’ views. Another lamented how the recording industry robs classical music of its power by selling it as background listening. This winter, he scored a scoopy essay by former FDA scientists who said the agency was sidelining experts in its race to approve covid vaccines. A piece in the last election cycle decried the racist assumptions behind the use of the term “tribalism” in American politics. A favorite of his, after Trump impeachment defenders said attempting a crime is itself no crime, was a remembrance by the former “Simpsons” show-runner who had famously skewered this notion in the voice of Sideshow Bob.

Chris had the kind of steady hand that journalists prize. He was calm through edits of novice writers, emerging at the end with beautifully polished stories. He quickly grasped technical subject matter and spoke ably about it to the experts who wrote for him, winning their trust in The Post. (He was once heard on the phone prodding a scholar to address counterarguments few would have known to ask about; he’d digested the academic literature on the topic earlier that morning.) He routinely asked people with whom he disagreed to write for Outlook. At every meeting, he had ideas about who would enliven the coverage — a parent who smoked pot with her teenage son, a musicologist who dove deep into Lou Reed.

For his teammates, Chris was always there — freely and spontaneously — with ingenious advice about reframing an argument, restructuring a piece, reassuring an anxious contributor, recruiting a hard-to-get author or just revising a headline. He was the first one raising his hand to take a story off a colleague’s plate when they were slammed or traveling. Chris was exceptionally fun to speak with about writers and writing, when he could be induced to divulge his favorites (and least favorites); he possessed an excellent ear for style. He also had the wryest jokes in staff meetings. (“That submission,” he once deadpanned, “is more artful than readable.”) He remembered details about his teammates’ lives and asked about them.

Chris was perhaps most gifted as a spotter of new and novel ideas from the ivory tower. After graduating from Princeton, he started his career at the Chronicle of Higher Education, where he remained a contributor for years. Later, he wrote a column about intellectual trends for the Boston Globe’s Ideas section, produced shows for Bloggingheads.TV and ran the Perspectives section at Vox, among his other freelance writing for dozens of newspapers and magazines. He scanned academic journals, publishers’ seasonal book lists and the unseen blogs of smart but unheralded thinkers, seeking research that could help us see around the corner. What surprising arguments were burbling among legal scholars and iconoclastic judges? Why do economists think the stock market is untethered from the rest of the economy? How did the alt-right become obsessed with ancient Sparta? Why do political scientists think small-dollar political donations come with a cost for the rest of us? Chris was always trying to find out, and his quest enriched Outlook and edified readers.

Chris spoke adoringly and often humorously about parenting his son, Will, 18, with whom he weathered the hardest of the lockdown months. Chris was self-effacing in virtually every other context, but he couldn't keep himself from bragging about Will's academic progress. More recently, Chris and Will traveled together to colleges around the country as Will tried to decide where he’d continue his studies, ultimately settling on College of the Holy Cross.

Outside work, Chris liked to be outdoors. He posted photos of his weekend bike rides around the farmlands of exurban Maryland. He cycled to work from Silver Spring in all weather; he could be seen pedaling steadily down the street, helmet under his raincoat, even in the dead of winter. He eagerly offered tips for other Post employees who traveled this way, using the #bikecommuting Slack channel. On sunny days, he drove to Shenandoah National Park for hikes. He called a colleague recently from atop a peak there. One memorable quirk: He took great pleasure in the clacking of mechanical keyboards. And he held strong opinions about Marie Kondo, the evangelist for purging stuff, even if he liked the way she folded socks. Chris played the guitar (often visible behind him on Zoom calls), listened to vintage punk and loved his dog, Calvin.

Chris is survived by his son, William; parents, Thomas Shea and Judith Shea; former wife Rachel Hartigan; sister Nancy O’Driscoll and her husband, Tony O’Driscoll; their children, Declan and Lochlin; and his girlfriend, Amanda Perez.

According to his family, Chris passed away after a long battle with depression.

We will share funeral or memorial arrangements when the family has settled on them. Colleagues are also creating a GoFundMe for Will’s education and other needs. We will send the details in a separate message.

If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline or text 741741 to reach a counselor. For Post staff, an employee assistance program is available 24/7 at 1-888-881-LINC and online at www.supportlinc.com.

Sally, Cameron, Tim, Adam and Mike