Thomas K. Shahinian, MD

85, of Carlisle, Massachusetts, formerly of East Greenwich, Rhode Island, died on October 20, 2025. He was predeceased by his beloved wife of fifty-eight years, Ann Gail Shahinian (Scacciotti). He was the cherished father of Bethany Ann Richman (Michael Richman) and Karen Ann Shahinian, and devoted grandfather of Samuel Thomas, Lily Ann, Jack Thomas, and William Thomas. He is also survived by his sister, Sylvia Dulgarian.

He was born in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Karekin and Arshalous Shahinian, and grew up on Smith Hill. Thomas was a graduate of Hope High School in Providence, Rhode Island, and Providence College. From an early age, he was fascinated by how things work, how they are put together, and how they can be fixed or improved. This curiosity led him to continue his studies at the University of Bologna Medical School in Italy. He became fluent in Italian, determined and resolute as always, and immersed himself in his studies as well as the culture.

In 1966, Thomas married Ann Gail, his light, and she joined him to live in Italy while he finished medical school. This was the first of many adventures for them, and together they fully embraced life there, bringing back beautiful memories and traditions that have endured in their family. After returning home to Rhode Island, they started a family in Cranston, Rhode Island, welcoming two daughters, while Thomas finished his surgical residency and became an attending physician at Rhode Island Hospital. He joined Surgical Group, Incorporated, where he would practice until his retirement in 2015. The young family settled in East Greenwich, where Thomas and Ann Gail lived for almost forty years.

His family was his world. He guided them with fierce love, devotion, and quiet wisdom, modeling a work ethic like none other, the importance of integrity, standing strong on principles, humility, and always compassion. He cared for them with tremendous love, warmth, wisdom, and humor. He looked forward to road trips with Ann Gail as his trusted co-pilot, never knowing where they might stop next, always up for a new adventure. He loved having everyone together, especially during trips to Marco Island and summer trips to the Maine coast, relaxing in the sun with Ann Gail, watching his grandchildren grow and reveling in their stories and antics. He took great joy in teaching them, whether it was cooking, building, fixing, growing the best tomatoes or drawing the best diagram of the circulatory system for biology class. With all of that, he would say that he was the one learning something new from them every day. He had a well-known soft spot for the family pets, and was always sneaking treats to Lucy or some of his dinner to Penelope and Antigone.

For almost fifty years, he cared for his patients and their families with skill, grace, kindness, and absolute dedication. He worked tirelessly to continue learning and to improve his craft to better help patients, both as a young resident moonlighting often to gain additional experience, and as an established surgeon learning new, innovative techniques to bring to his practice. He gave countless people the gift not only of his hands, but his heart as well. He was a doctor in the truest sense of the word. He felt his patients’ fears, their pain, their loss, as much as he shared in their joy in recovery and health. He helped to train a generation of young surgeons at Rhode Island Hospital, teaching them not only superb technical skills, but about medicine as an art, and how to be a compassionate caregiver. He had high standards, and led by example.

An avid fisherman, gifted woodworker, and prolific gardener, Thomas approached even his hobbies with unparalleled passion and resolute commitment, whether it was learning to tie the most intricate flies to add to his fly-fishing collection, outfitting a professional-grade woodshop to make built-to-order pieces for his family, spending weekends tending to the yard, or learning the most effective ways to outsmart unwanted animal visitors to his garden, he gave it his all. He looked forward to fishing trips to Labrador and Montana, and one of his most treasured trips was to Alaska with Ann Gail. All of these things, he shared first with his children, and then his grandchildren. With Sam, his love of jazz. With Jack and Will, his love of fishing and woodworking. With Lily, the magic of the garden, and especially carrots!

After moving from East Greenwich to Carlisle, Massachusetts to be closer to their daughters, Thomas and Ann Gail settled into their next adventure. For the first few years, Thomas continued to make the four o’clock morning trek to Rhode Island Hospital, and then, enjoying his retirement time, looking forward to having his children and grandchildren pop in for visits, and his nightly routine of watching Italian television with Ann Gail. Along with her, he gave his family a home filled with love, strength, peace, and kindness. With this, along with his tremendous contributions as a physician, he leaves the richest of legacies.

His Mass of Christian Burial, to which relatives and friends are invited, will be held on Monday, October 27th at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Mercy Church, 65 Third Street, East Greenwich, Rhode Island. Burial will be private.

In recognition of his dedication to learning and faith, in lieu of flowers, contributions to honor his memory may be made to Our Lady of Mercy School, 55 Fourth Avenue, East Greenwich, Rhode Island 02818, or to The Sisters of Mercy, 15 Highland View Road, Cumberland, Rhode Island 02864.