Daniel Charles 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, Massachusetts. After high school, he came to Martha’s Vineyard with his parents and four siblings to help build the family’s campground in Vineyard Haven. When it opened in 1972, he headed north to Alaska, where he studied wildlife biology at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks.

In Alaska, Dan worked on the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and was among the last to claim land under the Homestead Act, earning 160 acres in the Brooks Range. He built a home, cultivated the land, and fulfilled the residency requirements before later returning to Fairbanks to work as a real estate mortgage broker. The vast Alaskan wilderness remained one of his favorite places, and he returned often for hunting trips with friends.

In 1988, Dan came back to the Vineyard to help his family manage the campground so his parents could retire. For more than thirty years he oversaw daily operations, guiding the business into the next generation while preserving the simple, authentic island experience that made it special. He retired in 2018, passing the campground to the third generation of the Feeney family. It now enters its fifty-fourth season as a cherished Vineyard tradition.

Dan served the Town of Tisbury for twenty-four years as a dedicated firefighter, rising to the ranks of lieutenant and captain with the Tisbury Fire Department. He was a man of great stature and personality, known for his loyalty, quick wit, and wide-ranging knowledge. He could fix nearly anything and loved the outdoors, especially the water. Whether fishing, hunting, or heading out on his boat, he spent as much time as possible doing what he loved. The waters around the Vineyard were his happiest place, and many of his best days were spent casting a line with friends.

His greatest catch was his wife, Dona Herrmann. Longtime friends who reconnected later in life, they were rarely apart from then on. In his retirement years, if you saw Dan, you almost always saw Dona beside him, ready for the next adventure. Their friendship blossomed into a deep and steadfast love. Dan left this world comforted by her constant presence at his side.

He is survived by his wife, Dona Herrmann, his four siblings, and many beloved nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews. In his final days, one of his wishes was to see Tashmoo harbor one last time, a place filled with decades of memories on the water. Though he could not make the trip himself, Dona arranged a final drive-by so he could quietly say goodbye to a cherished spot.

Dan will be remembered for his integrity, loyalty, laughter, and the many stories and friendships he shared throughout his life.