Eugene Quinn, 70, a longtime Georgetown resident, died suddenly Friday, December 3, 2010 at the George Washington University Hospital in Washington, DC.
He was the loving husband of Marguerite Slocum Quinn, to whom he was married 23 years. In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughter, Tara, and her husband, Andrew Reilly, of Middletown, RI, his grandchildren, Andrew and Fiona, his brothers, Paul of McLean, VA, Thomas of Washington, DC, and Francis of New York City and their families. He is also survived by his step-children John Trevor, Phyllis Higgerson, Evelyn Holm, Sophia Girard, and Irene Brooke, their spouses and 13 step-grandchildren. They, along with seven nieces and nephews, several cousins and countless friends join in mourning his untimely passing.
Joseph Eugene Quinn was born in Pawtucket, RI on March 1, 1940, the third of four sons. He had been living in Falls Church the last few years to be closer to his family, but Quinn was a Georgetown local, having lived here from 1984 through the next twenty-five years.
Since the early 1980s, Quinn held a series of increasingly important positions with the federal government, initially with the Reagan Administration. “He was the ultimate compassionate conservative,” said his brother Tom Quinn, himself a Georgetown resident and community notable. “He was a man of great principal and a true believer in conservative causes, but a very gentle and kindly fellow.”
He worked for the 1984 reelection of Ronald Reagan and delighted in telling friends that he worked in the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington.
A veteran of the United States Army Gene travelled extensively and had an uncommon ability to befriend a wide spectrum of people and delighted in sharing with them his views on religion, politics and sports. “He was really one of the most delightful people one would meet,” said Tom. “He was low key by nature and a wonderful guy to speak with.”
While in Georgetown, Quinn lived by the Cloisters and was active in the Citizens Association of Georgetown. “He loved jogging on the waterfront, and he would go to the Yates field house all the time,” said Tom.
He was a regular at Café Milano and 1789 Restaurant and a patron of Nathan’s from the day he came to town. Quinn was also an avid reader of the Georgetowner, according to his brother. “He always commented on it.”
Along with his wife Margy, Quinn was a founding member of the Anacostia Gracious Arts Program, an urban after school arts program for underprivileged youth in Washington.
Although Quinn lived in the Washington area for three decades, he considered Rhode Island his home and enjoyed spending summers there. He and Tom both own summer homes in Newport, where the funerary services were held Saturday, December 11. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends, and the Georgetown community at large. We wish his family all our best wishes and deepest apologies for the loss of this wonderful man.
