Daniel C. Feeney

Daniel Charles Feeney, 75, of West Tisbury, passed away peacefully at home on March 10, 2026.

Born on May 8, 1950, in Boston, Dan was the son of Charles and Jeanne Feeney and was raised in Sharon, MA. After high school, he came to the island with his parents and four siblings to help build the Martha's Vineyard Family Campground in Vineyard Haven. When the campground opened in 1972, he ventured north to Alaska to study wildlife biology at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.

In Alaska, Dan worked on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. He was among the last to acquire land through the Homestead Act, earning 160 acres of federal land. He built a home, cultivated the land, and lived on it to meet the requirements. Later, he returned to Fairbanks, where he worked as a real estate mortgage broker. Alaska-and especially the Brooks Range-remained one of his favorite places. He returned often for hunting trips with friends.

In 1988, Dan returned to the Vineyard to help his family manage the campground so his parents could retire. He went on to oversee the campground for more than 30 years. He helped carry the family business into a new generation while preserving the simple island experience that made it special. When he retired in 2018, the campground operations went to the third generation of the family. It now enters its fifty-fourth season as a longstanding Vineyard tradition.

Dan was also deeply committed to his community. He served the Town of Tisbury with dedication for 24 years as a firefighter, rising through the ranks to become both lieutenant and captain with the Tisbury Fire Department.

Those who knew Dan knew a man of great stature and personality. He was a loyal friend and passionate about everything he loved. Dan was knowledgeable about almost every subject. He could fix just about anything. He loved the outdoors and the water. Whether fishing, hunting, or heading out on his boat, he spent as much time as he could doing what he loved most. The Vineyard waters were his happy place. Many of his best days were spent casting a line with friends.

But Dan's greatest catch of all was his wife, Dona Herrmann. The two had been old friends before reconnecting later in life. From then on, they were rarely apart. If you knew Dan in his retirement years, you knew Dona, often in the passenger seat of his truck, ready for whatever adventure he had planned next. Their friendship grew into a deep and steadfast love. Dan left this world with the comfort of knowing she was by his side.

Dan is survived by his wife, Dona Herrmann, as well as his four siblings and many beloved nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

In his final days, one of Dan's wishes was to visit Tashmoo one last time. The harbor had long been a sentimental place tied to many memories on the water. Although he was unable to make the trip himself, Dona lovingly arranged a final drive-by. This gave him a quiet farewell to a place he cherished for so many years.

Dan will be remembered for his integrity, loyalty, laughter, and stories, and for the many friendships he made along the way.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Tisbury Firefighters Association or the Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass & Bluefish Derby Scholarship Fund, honoring Dan's lifelong love of fishing and of the island community.

A celebration of Dan's life will be held in the spring, with details to be announced.