Owen Louis Kilgannon Jr., 85, passed away on Tuesday, May 28, surrounded by loving family and listening to his beloved Irish music.

Owen was a raconteur equally affable at a business meeting, holiday table or cocktail hour at his bayfront house in Massapequa where anyone – legislator or landscaper – was welcomed for conversation and cocktails, often of a nearly extinct whisky concoction called Rock ‘n Rye, of which Owen was famously fond.

His house was often filled with his four children, Keith, Corey (Edna), Kery, and Jodi— and his stepchildren, John and Jimmy. As well as his beloved grandchildren — Melanie, Emily, Lena, Eli, Sofie, Ella, Wilson and Lily — and his great- grandchildren, Dillon and Natalie.

Owen’s lifelong familial connection to Ireland was fostered by his parents — Owen and Margaret, immigrants from rural County Sligo, Ireland.

Owen grew up in West Hempstead along with his identical twin brother, Frank (Sue), who died in 2021, and their devoted sister, Mary Abatemarco (Joe).

Owen was a proud graduate of Chaminade High School and St. John’s University, after which he grew a tiny tax business into a prominent accounting firm where he gained a reputation as a savvy strategist for builders and bankers alike.

Owen served on the boards of several charity and financial organizations and prided himself on knowing elected officials, business leaders and loved to remind people that he met every living U.S. president, as well as figures like Fidel Castro (during a trip to Havana in the 1990s).

He played tennis and waterskied well into his golden years and never stopped going into the office. He prided himself on having attended the past 42 Mets home openers, and he and his brother, Frank, enjoyed cheering from their season tickets during the Islanders Stanley Cup dynasty.

There will be a funeral mass Saturday, June 1 at 10 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes in Massapequa.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the CARES Foundation.

https://donate.nami.org/give/197406/?gad_source=1#!/donation/checkout

https://caresfoundation.org/