Neal Thomas Galligan die peacefully with his wife by his side Oct. 1. He was 73 years old.

Neal was born Nov. 13, 1950 in New Bedford. He first picked up a hammer when he was 12 years old, helping his father build the family home. He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, and upon his return went into the construction business.

He spent occasional weekends fishing on Martha’s Vineyard, and in 1976 he moved to the Island where he met his wife, Brenda, and started a family. He continued working in construction joining partners Joseph Chapman and Jamie Doyle and becoming president of Doyle Construction in 1988.

His passion for craftsmanship and attention to details allowed him to take part in building many complex architect-designed homes on the Vineyard. He approached projects with inspiration. From building legacy homes to constructing a garden shed or chicken coop, the finished product always exceeded expectations.

For Neal, his great project was the Corbin-Norton home in Oak Bluffs which he restored in 1991 and then rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2001. He admired the owner’s passion for preservation and appreciated working on the fine details in recreating the historic home.

While he took great pride in his work, family was everything to him. Neal and Brenda raised three children, each of whom moved back to the Vineyard to raise their own families. Neal loved having his grandchildren nearby, extended family, nieces and nephews, spending many weekends hosting family gatherings, afternoon picnics on the beach, or taking his little boat across Tisbury Great Pond.

He enjoyed coaching baseball when his kids were young and was active in the recovery community on the Island. He loved quahoging, scuba diving, golfing and music. He loved his friends, his crew and his clients. He loved to reminisce and tell stories, and he loved to laugh. His laugh was infectious and sincere, often bringing tears to his eyes.

He loved to travel. He loved meeting and learning about new people. Above all else, he loved his wife of 45 years, Brenda. They were best friends and partners in all things.

Neal is survived by his wife, Brenda Galligan; his children, Amy (Asil) Cash, Paul (Emily) Galligan, and Kevin Galligan (Chloe Loftfield); his sisters, Jane (Joe) Thomas, Karen (Greg) Kamon and Christine (Frank) Avilal; his brother Stephen (Wendy) Galligan; his grandchildren, Aiden Galligan, Ever Galligan, Harper Cash, Jozy Cash; his Island relations Beverly and Michael Mazza; and many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life will be held Oct. 26, from 1 to 4 p.m., at the Galligan family home in West Tisbury. Please reach out for details: amycashmv@gmail.com.

Donations can be made in his name to Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living, PO Box 1729, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568 or Hospice & Palliative Care of Martha’s Vineyard, 455 State Rd. PMB 244, Vineyard Haven, MA 02568.