Fr. Robert J. Shinney, SJ, former chaplain and counselor at Bellarmine College Preparatory, San Jose, California, died December 16, 2025, at Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos, California. He was 92 years of age and was a Jesuit for 71 years.
Robert James Shinney and his twin sister, Roberta, were born September 23, 1933, in Richmond, California, to John Shinney and Elizabeth Callaghan Shinney, joining two older siblings, Anne and Harold. He attended El Cerrito High School, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of San Francisco before entering the Jesuit novitiate at Los Gatos in 1954. Philosophy studies at Gonzaga University and theological studies at the Alma College campus of Santa Clara University led to his ordination as a priest in 1968 at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco.
He was long associated with Bellarmine College Prep in a variety of positions. Before his ordination, he taught mathematics (1962-1965). He returned as a priest as student counselor and academic vice-principal (1970-1974), and in 1995, he returned to Bellarmine again for a period that would extend to his retirement in 2021. He served as student counselor (1995-2002), and during a period of great expansion of the campus facilities, he worked in the development office that enabled construction of the new buildings. In August 2012, the new Student Life Center, named for Fr. Shinney and his friend and colleague, Br. Wally Ryan, SJ, was dedicated. Health issues resulted in his moving to Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos for a ministry of prayer, bringing to a close his 33-year association with Bellarmine. Up until the end, he was a great follower of Bellarmine athletics and was known for his enthusiastic shout, 鈥淕o, Bells!鈥�
San Jose was not the only location of Fr. Shinney鈥檚 educational ministry. He served in two other California Jesuit high schools, Jesuit High School in Carmichael (math teacher, 1969-1970; counselor, 1989-1992) and St. Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco (counselor, assistant to the principal and minister of the Jesuit community, 1974-1983). In addition, he volunteered for teaching assignments in South America. He taught English and counseled students at the Colegio San Ignacio in Piura, Peru (1983-1989), and was campus minister at Colegio San Javier in Tacuaremb贸, Uruguay (1992-1995).
Fr. Shinney is survived by the children and husband of his late sister, Roberta: nieces, Nancy Cayton and Sandy Swan; nephew David Cayton; grand-nephew Michael Swan; and brother-in-law, Ray Cayton.
The Funeral Mass will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at the Leontyne Chapel of Bellarmine College Preparatory, 960 West Hedding Street, San Jose, CA 95126. 聽If being dropped off, the closest drop-off spot for chapel access is the corner of Elm Street and University Avenue. Parking garage entrance with direct campus access is located on Emory Street at the end of Stockton Avenue, off W. Taylor Street. (For GPS directions to parking garage: 740 Emory St, San Jose, CA 95126). Golf cart transportation will be available from the parking structure to Leontyne Chapel should you need mobility assistance.
Donations in memory of Fr. Shinney may be made to the 蜜桃视频 West Province of the Society of Jesus, P.O. Box 68, Los Gatos, CA 95031, or to a charity of your choosing.
