Shelter Island Reporter obituary: Sherman Owen McGayhey

Sherman Owen McGayhey, 88, of Lawrenceville, Ga. passed away on June 16, 2026. He leaves behind his wife Song Kim, his daughter Laura Eckley and granddaughter Julia Eckley of Bronxville, N.Y., his step-children Phillip Lechmanski of Shelter Island, Liz Lechmanski Hatchett of Auburn, Ga., and Jeffrey Franzoni of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., his brother Guy McGayhey of Burlington, N.C. He was predeceased by his wife Ann Franzoni McGayhey and his ex-wife and lifelong friend Sheila McGayhey.

Sherman was born in 1938 in Riverhead and spent his childhood and early adulthood on Shelter Island, an island that he truly and deeply loved. He earned the rank of Eagle Scout, excelled at track and field, graduated from Shelter Island High School in 1956, attended Villanova University and served in the National Guard. For all of his 88 years Sherman was an ambitious and hard-working person. He was a steamfitter for Local 638 and owned successful pipefitting businesses in both NYC and Georgia that performed commercial HVAC work.

Sherman relocated to Gwinnett County, Ga. in 1993 with his second wife Ann, where he spent his remaining years.

He knew and befriended people from all walks of life as he was a people person who never met a stranger. He could talk with anyone about anything and if he couldn’t help you himself (which was rare), he knew someone who could.

Over the years he provided a home and jobs to many people when they needed it most and touched many lives. Sherman was able to build, fix and grow just about anything.

His step-son Phillip described him fondly as a “master craftsman whose range of knowledge spanned every form of building and construction at the highest level.”

Sherman loved his family and friends, enjoyed spending time in nature and gardening, and was deeply grateful for his long and full life. He is missed by his family and friends. Donations in his memory can be made to the Shelter Island History Museum (shelterislandhistorical.org).