Thomas McGann passed away on October 19 at his adopted home in Dunedin, Florida. He was 85 years old. Tom had a distinguished career with the U.S. Coast Guard, taking pride in his service during the Vietnam War. He was also one of the original “Maguire boys,” part of a trio that purchased Maguire’s restaurant in Ocean Beach during the 1960s and made it a success. He possessed an entrepreneurial spirit and engaged in numerous ventures throughout his lifetime to earn a living, including clamming and teaching water skiing. Additionally, he contributed to the Fire Island News for seven years.
I met him in the late 1990s when he started dating my co-worker, Donna Brittian. By 2015, he had self-published a few children’s books and expressed interest in writing for Fire Island News. Tom was earnest about his craft but was still relatively new at it. Our first summer working together had its turbulence; however, the following summer, he found his niche. He was a natural-born history writer. Once we both realized this, I made him the FIN history columnist. Tom wrote with intelligence, humor, and candor. As a Long Island-born Republican, he was initially uncomfortable when I first started assigning him LGBTQ+ history assignments. However, those articles were among his finest works. Over the years I knew him, his perspective did not necessarily change, but it broadened.
McGann’s articles still live on fireislandnews.com today. The books he authored remain available on Amazon, including an anthology he edited for the Dunedin Writers Group. He is survived by his wife Donna, to whom he was married to for 25 years; his daughter Tonya; stepdaughters Suzanne, Christine, and Jillian; and his grandchildren Josiah, Sofia, Gabriele, Naomi, Sasha, and Riley. Contributions can be made to the Coast Guard Foundation in his memory.
