(914) 337-6770
info@mcgrathandson.com
20 Cedar Street, Bronxville, NY - 10708

Regan, Neil January 25, 1956 - November 28, 2021

Neil Regan died peacefully at his home on November 28, 2021. He was 65 years old. He was born on January 25, 1956 in New York, New York, the son of William Mahon Regan and Grace O’Neil Regan. He was a graduate of St. Joseph’s School, Fordham Preparatory School and Brown University. 
 
Neil had many outstanding qualities, but his tender heart and exceptional kindness stand out. He was devoted to his parents in their final years and took outstanding care of them. No one who met him was untouched by his kindness, his humor and his friendliness. Always ready with a big smile and a joke, Neil’s presence brightened up any room he entered. He knew everyone’s name and took a sincere interest in their lives. It is no surprise that in addition to his loving family, Neil has lifelong friends who were devoted to him and to whom he was devoted. They welcomed him into their families and he was Uncle Neil to their children as well. Wherever he went, he collected new friends. “I love that guy” is the familiar refrain heard when Neil’s name is mentioned.
 
An avid cryptic puzzle solver, Neil also enjoyed entertaining his family and friends with his annual Christmas puzzle creations. In his younger years, Neil was an adventurer. He rode his bike through the Canadian Rockies, trekked though Nepal and climbed two Himalayan mountains.
 
Throughout his life, Neil developed a passion for sports and games of all kinds, especially golf. His love of the game brought him much happiness, especially on those late afternoons, putting from miles away and playing until he couldn’t see the ball. He had a vast knowledge of the history of the game and of golf course design. As a longtime member and historian of The Winged Foot Golf Club, he shared his exuberance, enlightenment and expertise with the Club, the members and the USGA as well as making extensive contributions to the restoration of the greens at Winged Foot. Neil was also a lifetime member of Ballybunion Golf Club in County Kerry, Ireland and Machrihanish in Kintyre, Scotland and was well known in the British Isles golf world.
 
Neil’s other greatest passion in recent years was redesigning his lovely property in South Salem. He applied his golf-course design skills to his own yard and could often be found operating a backhoe or skidsteer to move huge boulders around or sitting on one of the gorgeous custom-made benches in his private arboretum.
 
There will never be another like him.
 
Neil is survived by his seven siblings, Grace Regan Conway (John), William Mahon Regan, Jr. (Alice), John O’Neil Regan (Sara), Hugh Regan (Gail), Jane Regan Considine (Michael), Ann Regan and Mary Regan; twenty nieces and nephews and twenty great-nieces and nephews. He will be waked at Fred H. McGrath and Son in Bronxville, New York on Friday, December 3, 2021. A Mass of the Christian Burial will take place at the Church of St. Joseph in Bronxville, NY on Saturday, December 4, 2021.
 
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Ave., Dallas, TX 75231

Calling Hours: 4 to 8 pm, Friday, December 3, 2021

Mass: 9:45 am, Saturday, December 4, 2021 at St. Joseph's Church, Bronxville

To Live Stream the Mass: Please Click Here

In Lieu of Flowers: Contributions may be made to American Heart Association 

Condolences(21)

  1. REPLY
    Craig Thompson says

    Great memories of a special character. He will be missed, especially around the greens.

  2. REPLY
    Skip Rooney says

    So sad to hear. We recently spent a numbers of hours working on the WF Centennial. He had such a love for Winged Foot!
    I will miss him.

  3. REPLY
    Matthew Burrows says

    You were a kind and gentle soul. I will truly miss our conversations about Winged Foot specifically and golf course architecture in general. Rest in peace, my friend.

  4. REPLY
    Stuart Wolffe says

    The Tillinghast Association as well as the history committee at Baltusrol Golf Club are all very sad to hear this news. We will miss Neil’s insights and knowledge. Very sad!

  5. REPLY
    Nancy Pope O'Connell says

    May the angels wrap their arms around you Neil, and take you safely home.

  6. REPLY
    Michael Sweeney says

    There is a wonderful thread over on Golf Club Atlas where many of his/our golf friends left memories from over the years – https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,70462.0.html

    I can list many fancy clubs that I got to play with Neil over the years, but one of my favorites is Mohansic Golf Course in Northern Westchester designed by Tom Winton. I think Neil could have been the Historian there too!

    I will always appreciate Neil’s generosity to my two sons, and in Jesuit tradition:

    Requiescat in Pace

  7. REPLY
    Geoffrey Childs says

    I am deeply saddened to lose such a good friend. We were neighbors in Bronxville (me Tuckahoe) and then South Salem living less than a mile apart in each location. I learned by accident that my neighbor in Tuckahoe was Neil’s parents physical therapist. Neil was a wealth of information, much of the time in the form of entertaining stories. I would frequently send him a photo or tidbit of data usually regarding golf history or baseball, knowing that Neil would know more than I and fire back a better photo and reply with a test question of his own. The last one regarded the tunnel under the railroad tracks near Leewood golf club and its origins with regard to getting Babe Ruth to the Stadium for games. I last saw Neil a bit more than a month ago when he picked up my indoor/outdoor putting green to use on his veranda. Who better should have a putting green at their home? We had a lovely conversation as usual. We spent many a round of golf locally at Winged Foot, Yale, my beloved Split Rock in the Bronx that Neil loved equally and Mohansic. Our golf together ranged all the way to the Sand Hills of Nebraska. I regret not being able to take him up on the invitation to play at Ballybunion and other links in Ireland. I pray the greens in heaven are challenging. I know Neil will become their friend and historian. RIP.

  8. REPLY
    Rich and Trish McCall says

    May the road rise to meet you,
    May the sun shine warm upon your face,
    And the rain fall soft upon your fields,
    And until we meet again,
    May God hold you in the hollow of His hands.

    We love you Neil!?❤️

  9. REPLY
    Frank Colarusso says

    Neil has been my friend for 50 years since we went to Fordham Prep. We have stayed connected all this time. He was kind, funny, sarcastic and most of all brilliant. I texted with him a day before he passed. I pray for peace for his entire family and for all of us to do an act of kindness in his memory!

  10. REPLY
    Jack Stapleton St. Louis, MO says

    Like most of us, I am sad and still in a bit of shock hearing this news. We had a terrific text chain of Prep classmates over the last couple of years. Frank Colarusso, Dave Sheil and myself would test our Yankee and Fordham Prep memories and Neil , as all of us know, had every answer and quite a few stories as only Neil could tell! We were all so proud of his work at Winged Foot and he was so humble about that as only Neil could be. He was a rare combination of true genius and kindness beyond words! As Frank mentioned, he texted us late on Tuesday recalling a JV Baseball game we all played in at Horace Mann! To all you wonderful Regans… we will miss your brother, our Prep brother dearly! We are all the better for knowing Neil and being his friend! Jack Stapleton Fordham Prep ‘74

  11. REPLY
    Andrew Barrett says

    Circumspect, considerate, positive and witty – I enjoyed Neil’s high school friendship very much.

  12. REPLY
    Noreen Laskoski Noble says

    So saddened to learn of Neil’s too early death. I had the great fortune of attending Kindergarten through eighth grade at St. Joseph’s with Neil. He was always the smartest in the class but being Neil, he was
    just a “regular” guy. Years after graduating St. Joe’s, I would run into him, always with a smile on his face and the time to have a chat. I know he’s in the angels arms.

  13. REPLY
    Michael Coyne says

    Very sorry to learn of Neil’s untimely passing. I enjoyed our conversations on all things golf and our occasional games on his visits to Ballybunion over the years.
    Always a pleasure to meet and no rush to end the stories.
    May he rest in peace!

  14. REPLY
    Steve Lapper says

    We lost a great one this past week, but heaven now has filled out its “good guy” foursome. Neil was an ever-smiling, smart, and kind human being. His intelligence was on display through sharing and caring and never condescending. He had an infectiously positive spirit that applied to everything and everyone around him.

    Our conversations began with golf course architecture and traveled everywhere else in a single day or evening. I’ll miss his extemporaneous talent for turning a putting green into a pool table, the sparkle in his eye while telling tale from the past, and most of all his company. We shall miss him terribly. RIP my friend.

  15. REPLY
    Bruce Smith says

    The Neil I knew.
    Smart. Skillful. Solid.
    Serious about his love of Winged Foot.
    Sociable. Smiling. Sincere.
    Salty. Spirited. Sarcastic. Silly.

    Selfless in the caring of his Parents.
    Sensitive. Sweet.
    Searching for old Photos of WF and his next Adventure.
    Sad he’s gone so soon, so sudden.
    Sorry he can’t complete his service to WF’s Centennial.

    Special guy. Neil Regan.

  16. REPLY
    LTJG Dylan Sweeney says

    Neil was a great golfer, a great friend, and most importantly a great man. Never have I met someone who was so fascinated with other people and was genuinely intrigued and fascinated with what they had to say. It was great having him on my golf trip to Ireland with my father and he was an excellent tour guide for what the country had to offer. He will be greatly missed.

    RIP Neil

  17. REPLY
    LTJG Dylan Sweeney says

    Neil was a great golfer, a great friend, and most importantly a great man. Never have I met someone who was so fascinated with other people and was genuinely intrigued and fascinated with what they had to say. It was great having him on my golf trip to Ireland with my father and he was an excellent tour guide for what the country had to offer. He will be greatly missed.

    RIP Neil

  18. REPLY
    Ron Smartt says

    I am deeply saddened to hear the news of Neil’s passing and my thoughts and prayers are with his family at this time. I first met Neil back in the early 90’s and we played many rounds of golf at Ballybunion and across at Lahinch where I was a member. I so fondly remember him looking away with disgust at a poor wedge shot he played to the short 8th at Ballybunion, only for the ball to hit the small dune at the side of the green and roll into the hole for a hole in one. He never saw the ball disappear into the hole but we wined and dined merrily that evening and told just about everyone who would listen to the story. I so fondly remember the many rounds we played at Winged Foot where he was a wonderful host and so knowledgeable of the clubs history. A true gentleman and always with that wonderful smile on his face. Sleep well and RIP Neil

  19. REPLY
    David S Corcoran III says

    Neil, the remembrances of your friends speak of the grand influence you graced them all through your personal attributes. Your family has always been gracious and loving, may these traits always emanate wherever they are needed! God Bless and Godspeed.

  20. REPLY
    Jeffrey Lewis says

    A wonderful man and such a great loss.

  21. REPLY
    Scarlett Jade says

    I loved as much as you’ll receive carried out right here. The sketch is tasteful, your authored material stylish. nonetheless, you command get bought an nervousness over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come more formerly again since exactly the same nearly a lot often inside case you shield this hike.

Leave a Condolence to Nancy Pope O'Connell Cancel reply