SLINGERLANDS — “With heavy hearts, we announce the unexpected passing of the amazing and zany Daniel Francis ‘Dan’ Heenan, on July 4, 2024,” his family wrote in a tribute. He was 66.

He was born on Jan. 7, 1958, in Woodhaven, New York, to the late Walter E. and Ann (née Snee) Heenan.

“As a boy, Dan spent his time playing stickball, skully, and ringalevio, and exploring the parks, alleys, stoops, and rooftops of his native Queens,” the tribute said. “He was a Boy Scout and attended St. Thomas the Apostle Elementary School where his antics were the bane of priests and nuns alike.

“The Heenan clan relocated to Warsaw, New York where the ‘city boy’ Dan showcased his athletic prowess on the football field as a two-way standout at linebacker/fullback and captain of the Warsaw Tigers.

“He laid down roots in Albany, where he owned and operated Capital Realty Connection for 40 years, until his eventual employment at Howard Hanna Real Estate.

“Dan enjoyed spending his time outdoors in the fresh, open air — whether it was gardening, yard work, grilling ribs, climbing on ladders when he shouldn’t have, mountain biking, building towers of precariously placed rocks.

“Dan was generous and creative and would often make one-of-a-kind wooden signs as gifts for friends, family, and clients. 

“An avid reader, epic storyteller, and master of the stage, at any occasion Dan would be found with a rapt audience at hand as he enthusiastically retold a childhood story or recounted a detailed history of Tolkien’s Middle Earth.

“Dan was a passionate skier and self-proclaimed expert on the slopes. From October through May, he could be found making memories at the ski house at his beloved Killington Mountain in Rutland, Vermont.

“When he wasn’t entertaining his wife, Robbin, and their group of close friends, our hero was careening down the mountain, clothing, equipment, and limbs precariously held together with duct tape, cursing out snowboarders, and loving every minute of it. The only thing Dan loved and cherished more than his time at Killington, was his family.

“He lived his life fearlessly, unapologetically, and loud. Whether you met Dan once or a thousand times, he found a way to connect with you — often with a joke, sometimes slightly offensive, which just meant he already liked you. He had nothing but goodness in his heart and a desire to make you laugh.”

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Daniel Francis Heenan is survived by his loving wife and ski partner, Robbin Heenan; his three children, Daniel (Ashley), Patrick (Maya), and Kelcey (Matt); his brothers, Walter (Monique) and Stephen (Sharise); his sister, Annie Labrecque (James); as well as his goddaughter, Maggie Meyer, and many cherished nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He is also survived by his five granddaughters, Mila, Lucia, Evelyn, Maeve, and Emma, whom he adored and who adored him back. “Those girls only had eyes for ‘G-pa’ or ‘Grandpa Dan’ when he was in the room,” his family wrote.

“In addition, Dan is remembered very fondly by the vast members of the Kinisky family from Voorheesvilee,” the tribute said. “Joshua recalls hi as being ‘very charismatic.’” 

His parents, Walter E. and Ann (née Snee) Heenan, died before him, as did his cousin, John Pfeiffer, with whom he had a special connection and loved dearly. 

A Mass was held at Christ The King Church in Guilderland on July 12 with interment at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Colonie.

Memorial contributions may be made to CDG Care, cdgcare.org, in honor of his granddaughter, Maeve.