Louis James Shine, born July 2, 1956, passed away at the age of 70 in his native Brooklyn, NY on Thursday, September 3, 2026. He is survived by his brothers, Larry Shine, JR. and his wife Laura, and Lenny Shine and his wife, Susan. He is also survived by his nephew, Lucas, and by his nieces Kelley and Anna and her husband Jake Shughrue, whom he loved dearly and deeply as they loved him.

He retired in 2018 from his career with the MTA, where he served as a bus driver and ultimately rose to the position of dispatcher at the Michael Quill Depot of The Manhattan Bronx Surface Transit Operating Authority (MABSTOA). Known to many of his fellow MABSTOA workers as “Louie,” “Big Lou,” and “Big Guy,” he was widely regarded not only as a top-notch dispatcher, but more importantly, as one of the nicest, kindest, and most thoughtful people they had ever met.

Louis was born and raised in Brooklyn. He attended St. Augustine School and then transferred to and graduated from St. Catherine of Genoa Elementary School in 1974. Thwarted from following his brothers into Brooklyn Prep by its closing in 1972, he attended Nazareth High School. By senior year, he had grown impatient with the school’s atmosphere and culture. He dropped out and promptly obtained his GED, “graduating” before his peers by finishing the program ahead of his scheduled graduation date from Nazareth.

In the days before digital music devices, Louis would be seen walking in his neighborhoods of Park Slope and East Flatbush shouldering a portable radio, speaker to his ear, listening to WNEW-FM, while walking the family dog, Nemo. An avid Mets fan, he listened and watched from the days of Lindsay Nelson, Ralph Kiner, and Bob Murphy right through the decades to today’s broadcasts by GKR (Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling) and Howie Rose on radio. Over the course of his life, he attended Mets games at the Polo Grounds, Shea Stadium, and Citi Field, where he celebrated one of his happiest and proudest family moments in 2023 when he gifted the whole family a private suite there for a Mets game.

His Audi3 SUV sports a New York Rangers vanity plate “FN4LYF,” (Fan for Life), which he was. He subscribed to the sentiment displayed on a fan’s banner when the Rangers finally won the Stanley Cup in 1994 after a 54-year drought: “Now I can die in peace.” He was equally a devoted fan of The New York Football Giants and bestowed many a birthday and Christmas gift sporting their name and logo.

He relocated from Yonkers back to Brooklyn in 2022 to be near his family. Living in a garden apartment in Bay Ridge, he became an avid gardener, growing tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and herbs. He hosted an annual “birthday cookout” each summer for his nieces and nephew, whose birthdays all fall within mid-August to early September. His culinary skills were high enough not only to spin gourmet dinners onto his own table, but also to host family get-togethers, including hosting Thanksgiving Dinner for the whole family at his apartment in 2023.

He described himself as “Born to Drive” and took major road trips with family members. He took his nephew Lucas to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Gettysburg National Monument, among other stops in 2016, and he shared a trip to Cincinnati in 2023 to see a New York Mets weekend series versus the Reds at Great American Ballpark with his brother Lenny. He frequently drove to Connecticut and Maine to visit his brothers at their homes and enjoy time with family and friends.

He was an avid player of Spelling Bee and Connections in The New York Times and he achieved “Queen Bee” – meaning he found every possible word – in Spelling Bee regularly, and numerous times a year. He also was an artist and produced many works in ink and water color over the years.

Louis lived as the epitome of a “gentle giant.” Always nicer to others than he was to himself, he struggled with his weight throughout his life and opted for a surgical procedure in 2000 to help him reduce his weight and improve his mobility. After his retirement, he worked relentlessly with a nutritionist and had slowly and steadily succeeded in dropping 70 pounds through diet and exercise. He became even more deeply inspired by the prospect of his niece Anna’s wedding at a lavender farm in Maine in the summer of 2026 to be able to walk down to the ceremony at the shore of the Sheepscot River and then back up the slope to the site of the reception.

“Wait until they see me go up there – it’s gonna blow their freakin’ minds,” he said about joining his brother Lenny to perform the CSNY song, “Teach Your Children,” at the wedding in tribute to the bride and groom. It marked the first time he had sung in public in a live musical performance, proudly wearing a custom-tailored suit he acquired just for the occasion.

While we are sad and sorry that his physical presence is gone, we are proud and happy that his spirit lives on, as demonstrated by his singing at Anna and Jake’s wedding just one month before his passing, and by all those who remember him for his generosity, his kindness, and his love. As he always answered his phone when Lenny or Larry called him, “Hello, brother!”, we now say, “Goodbye, brother – we love you and we will keep your spirit alive.”

A Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday, October 4, 2026 from 2 PM - 5 PM
Clavin Funeral Home
7722 4th Avenue 
Brooklyn NY 11209
Complimentary Valet Parking Available