Francis McGahan

1924 - 2011

McGahan, Frabcis

Francis "Frank" McGahan, 86, of Larchmont, passed away on May 24, 2011. Frank was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1924 to Marie Dehn and Nicholas McGahan, but spent his formative years in Jackson Heights, Queens. He attended Blessed Sacrament School and Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School. Inducted into the Navy during World War II, Frank attended Webb Institute of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, often called "the toughest school in the United States," and after the war graduated from Manhattan College with a degree in Civil Engineering.

As a Professional Engineer in heavy marine construction management, Frank's work touched the whole harbor of the City of New York - its piers, docks, and bridges. Among his many accomplishments were: the foundations of the Throgs Neck Bridge ("Poppi's bridge"); the runway over the water at LaGuardia Airport; Howland Hook Container Terminal on Staten Island; US Navy Homeport Pier on Staten Island, one of the largest marine structures ever built on the East coast. The Homeport construction received numerous engineering awards and the industry lauded it as a "monument to engineering and construction ingenuity." Rear Admiral Benjamin Montaya honored Frank for "the best work ever done for the Navy." Frank's other projects included the North Channel Bridge across Jamaica Bay and the Newburgh Beacon Bridge across the Hudson. Frank also managed eight contracts in the construction of the Atlanta subway. He spent the longest part of his career with J. Rich Steers, of which he was Vice-President. He was particularly proud of his election to The Moles, described as the "most prestigious society of heavy construction in the world."

Frank is survived by Mary, his loving wife of 61 years, his children and their spouses: Michael and Amy McGahan, Christine and Lloyd Fleisher, Elizabeth and Vincent Bell, John and Elizabeth McGahan, Peter McGahan and Joseph Redinger; and eight grandchildren, Michelle and Emma McGahan, Daniel and Colin Fleisher, Christopher and Stephanie Bell, Sean and Shannon McGahan.

Visitation will be Wednesday, May 25 from 2-4pm and 7-9pm at John J. Fox Funeral Home, Larchmont. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10am on Thursday, May 26, 2011 at the Church of St. Augustine, Larchmont, NY. Burial at Greenwood Union Cemetery in Rye.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Frank's memory to the Scholarship Fund of The Moles, www.themoles.info or the American Heart Association www.heart.org.