John E. 'Shaun' Corette III, 81
On Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, John E. Corette III “Shaun” of Chevy Chase, Maryland, died at the age of 81.
Shaun was born June 24, 1936, and raised in Butte, a fact well known to all his friends and colleagues.
Shaun and his wife Mary Ann were summer residents on Caroline Point in Lakeside.
In 1969, Shaun arrived in Washington, D.C., to be general counsel of the U.S. Export-Import Bank. After seven years in that position, he elected to make Washington his home and established a long and distinguished law career, first at his own firm (Cole, Corette & Abrutyn) and later as a partner at DLA Piper.
Shaun’s practice spanned the spectrum from corporate to finance to international trade. A graduate of the University of Virginia Law School, he developed an enviable list of longstanding clients, including timber interests and the snowsport industry’s national trade association. In 1988, after six months of testimony, he won a famous case for the government-owned silver mining company of Peru against individuals seeking to corner the silver market.
He contributed to the improvement of the legal profession through his leadership roles with the American Bar Association and with Georgetown University Law School as an adjunct professor. He is fondly remembered as a mentor to young associates and was recognized on the list of Washington’s top lawyers by Washing-tonian magazine.
Shaun may have become a Washing-ton insider but he never gave up his love for his home state. After his retirement in 2011, he spent the summer and fall months at his home on Flathead Lake. He relished his large, extended family and friends and supported myriad of nonprofit educational institutions, including the University of Montana in Missoula, and Carroll College in Helena.
This cowboy considered everyone a friend and was a larger-than-life figure to all who knew him. He excelled at skiing, golf, tennis and storytelling. He will be missed for his sage advice, strong opinions, his warmth and love.
He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Mary Ann; his daughters, Erin Corette of Washington, D.C., and Kim Corette of Missoula; his son, Mike Tierney, of San Diego, Mike’s wife Andrea Migdal, his grandchildren Elyse and Ian; sister, Joan Hanley of Rancho Mirage, California; and brother, Bill Corette of Rolling Hills, California.
A celebration of life will be held in Lakeside during the summer of 2018.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Flathead Lakers (flatheadlakers.org) or to the Boys and Girls Club of Glacier Country.