Daniel Joseph McGill entered into eternal life on January 27, 2022. He is survived by his daughters Jennifer Boshart (John) Stephanie Taylor (John), his 6 grandchildren, Mary McGill, his cousin Fran McGill, several nieces, nephews, in-laws and cousins as well as a plethora of friends he cherished, especially Joan. He is predeceased by his parents Margaret and Joseph and his brother Joe. Known as Grandpa Dan and Poppy, he was the biggest child of them all. Cora, Henry, Catherine, Charlie, Ellianna, and Amelia all love and adore him. He was a fun loving, easy going, patient, fearless and selfless grandfather and father.
Dan was born December 20th 1946 in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx, NY. Dan attended St. Raymond’s, and graduated from Cathedral High School. Dan’s spiritual nature lead him to study philosophy at St. Joseph Seminary. He also received his masters from NYU.
Throughout his years Dan established life long relationships filled with a genuine selfless love for all of them. His love for the spoken word and his irreverent quirky sense of humor always seamlessly came together to bring a smile to everyone. He had remarkable wit and was incredibly intellectual and spiritual.
While Dan’s original path for the priesthood changed due to his desire to have a family he still lived a spiritual life and fulfilled his passion to help those in need. He spent the majority of his career at the NY State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. He also served as the Director of the Counselor Certification Program at Lehman College as well as a Chairperson for Stop Sigma Now and Empowering Productions Radio. His joy was making a difference in people’s lives everyday, not only in his work but also with those closest to him.
In the passage of his youth, he matured through his time with his childhood friends from 1776 Castle Hill. Years of time together in the apartment building and many games of stickball created life long friendships. These friendships always held a special place in his heart and created bonds never to be broken.
He was a life long learner who always had a crossword puzzle to complete and answers to all trivia. As his nephew John stated, Dan would be his “phone a friend”call if he were ever to be on Who Wants to be a Millionaire. His love of music and accapella singing was at the center of his heart and he knew every song from every genre.
Never one to be afraid of trying new things (other than many foods) Dan had a sense of adventure that took him to many places. He traveled to India several times to help establish substance abuse programs of which he was very proud.
He not only lived to help other people on a day -to- day basis but was also a passionate advocate for animal rescue and foster programs. Committed to finding homes for rescued dogs he fostered not just one, but 26 named after each letter of the alphabet. He was successful in this endeavor not just for the dogs but for all of the families who adopted them, and he always kept in touch every year.
He was a master of collectibles including vinyl records, baseball cards, comic books and coins. He would often visit tag sales and secretly leave items on the table that he put there from his own belongings. He would then ask the person how much they wanted for the item and pay more than the asking price. It was his quirky sense of humor that made everyone smile. But what made him smile most was the love he held for his 6 grandchildren and the times he spent with them.
He will always be an inspiration to all those who crossed his path. Rise up to heaven you will always be with us.
Dan’s daughters are taking donations to dedicate a space in his name to the new pediatric floor at Regional Hospice. This is the facility where Dan was able to spend his last days with his family by his side. It will be 1 of only 4 pediatric hospice facilities on the northeast and a place for terminally ill children to live out their last days surrounded by what they love rather than in a hospital. If you would like to make a donation please us the link below for the NorthStar campaign and include Dan’s name.
https://regionalhospicect.networkforgood.com/projects/44646-making-the-best-of-everyday