WA - Sean Patrick Corry

11/8/1953-3/1/2024

Born in Marinette Wisconsin, Sean Patrick Corry died at age 70. Sean is survived by his dear wife Dorothy Roberts Corry; by their kind and progressive children, David Corry, Beth Corry, and her husband Gerardo "Reggie" Guerrero; and by Sean's six siblings, as well as many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.

Sean was raised in Milwaukee, the sixth child of attorney Matthew Corry and teacher Patricia Murphy Corry. When Sean was a boy, the Corry house was a busy place in a neighborhood full of kids. Like his sisters and brothers, Sean attended the local Catholic grade school, except for three years of public education after Sean's first grade teacher, Sister Margaret Meanie, repeatedly slapped the devil out of him over minor infractions. The trauma associated with this abuse had nothing to do with Sean's atheism later in life.

Sean graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse, with majors in both philosophy and economics. After drifting a bit, he became an adult somewhere around age 27 when, while in graduate school in Milwaukee, he flew to Seattle to see his sister Lisa. There he met Lisa's housemate, the smart and multi-talented Dorothy Roberts. Dorothy and Sean fell for each other, so when he returned to Wisconsin, he finished the semester, painted a house for a bit of cash, and moved west. Dorothy and Sean happily married in 1983, and they maintained that happiness for the rest of Sean's life.

After landing in Seattle, Sean worked as a handyman and then as a roofer, but he really shocked his family when he became an insurance agent. He first sold life insurance, then health insurance, and later became an employee benefits broker at Sprague Israel Giles, Inc. He worked at SIG for thirty years, the last ten as the firm's president.

Through his work, Sean came to see that health insurance policies had unfair gaps in coverage which penalized innocent individuals and families. So, along with many others, Sean helped establish new Washington State laws and insurance practices that improved coverage for people with PKU and other metabolic disorders, for kids with neuromuscular issues, for people with autism, and for patients needing organ transplants. He also recognized the importance of mental health and helped establish fair and equal coverage for those needing mental health services.

Regarding these successes, Sean's humility was stronger than his pride, although he did like reading his name in the paper. He thought about it simply - he was in a position to help, so he felt compelled to help. Sean joined many nonprofit and Washington State boards and advisory groups, always with an interest in improving the circumstances of others.

Sean was a nice guy. He was smart and witty, with a punny sense of humor. He was kind, generous, and he liked being Irish. Sean never raised his voice, he gave good counsel, was a sucker for sappy songs, and he really, really loved Dorothy, their children, and his big Corry family. He will be missed.