Obituary of Bernard F. Egan

Bernard F. “Skip” Egan, of Rockville Centre and Hampton Bays, passed away peacefully, with his loving wife by his side, on February 16, 2023 at the age of 77 years. Skip was born at Saint Clare’s Hospital in Manhattan on December 14, 1945, the older of two sons born to Anita and Bernard Egan, and grew up in Flushing, Queens. In 1967, Skip graduated with a B.S. in Marketing from Siena College, where he played club football and proved to be a talented athlete. After college, he proudly served in the U.S. Navy, and then the Navy Reserves before joining the family business, H.B. Day Company, a wholesale foods products firm headquartered in Manhattan. He worked long and hard and treated his loyal customers like family. He retired as president of the company in 2014. On July 19, 1975, he married the love of his life, Laura Connolly. They lived in a second-floor apartment in Flushing until 1983, when they settled in a brick colonial in Rockville Centre, a block or so away from his beloved friend, partner, and brother, Tom. Skip is survived by his adoring wife, Laura, and his brother, Tom and his wife Delia, who will miss him dearly. He was pre-deceased by his cherished sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Dale and John Klein, who informally canonized him as “Saint Skip” due to his virtuous nature. He is also survived by many nieces and nephews, who were required to refer to him as “Uncle Greatness,” a title he truly lived up to. Skip is also survived by his “Hamptons Family” with whom he spent many laugh-filled summers at the beach. Skip had a rapier wit and was, as Billy Joel sang, “quick with a joke.” He was a skilled golfer and racquetball player, and a devoted fan and season ticket holder of the New York Football Giants, famously taking Laura to Pasadena in 1986 to see “Big Blue” win their first Super Bowl. He loved the beach and his time at Bel Cove in the Hamptons, and preferred swimming in the ocean to any pool. On Easter Sundays, Skip expertly hid eggs in his yard and took great pride in preparing for his annual jellybean counting contest. He had a penchant for stealing dessert items at family gatherings and was known to spill beverages on freshly laid tablecloths. Skip was a patient, caring, and generous man, who made many charitable donations. In past years, he volunteered at St. Anthony’s in Oceanside, where he donated his time to those in need, and brought luck to the parish as Bingo caller. In keeping with his saintly nickname, he was one of the truly good people in this world. Arrangements are entrusted to the care of Towers Funeral Home located at 2681 Long Beach Road, Oceanside, NY 11572. Visitation - February 23, 2023 from 2pm - 4pm and from 7pm – 9pm. A Funeral Mass will be held February 24, 2023 at 10:45 am at St. Anthony’s Roman Catholic Church, 110 Anchor Ave., Oceanside, NY 11572. In lieu of flowers donations can be made in memory of Skip to the Prostate Cancer Foundation https://www.pcf.org/