Gregory “Gregg” Neville passed away peacefully on March 11, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. He is now joyfully united in eternal rest with his beloved daughter, Julia. A New Canaan resident and active member of the community for 33 years, Gregg was a thoughtful, faith-filled, selfless man and will be remembered for the love, support, and generosity he showed those around him every day.
Gregg Neville
Gregg was born on September 13, 1958, in Queens, New York, to Grace (née Mulcahy) and Jeremiah Neville, their long-awaited first child, and answered many prayers. After his mother’s passing, Gregg was raised for the first two years of his life by his cherished paternal grandmother, Margaret Reeder Neville, and his aunt Joan Neville Kraus. Upon his father’s marriage to Rosalie Moclair, he gained a second mother who delighted in him every day. Young Gregg became the center of Jere and Rosalie’s world, they fostered in him a deep Catholic faith, perseverance through adversity, and a commitment to striving for excellence. Gregg grew up in Manhasset, NY, attending St. Mary’s School, Buckley Country Day School, and Friends Academy, where he excelled academically, eagerly participated in early computer programming and debate competitions, and enthusiastically ran track and played on the hockey and golf teams.
Gregg attended Williams College, where he graduated in 1980 with a dual degree, with honors, in Political Economy and Geology, areas of interests that continued throughout his life. A man of many passions, Gregg was a member of the varsity track team for four years, served as a college radio DJ, and took many memorable trips, including representing Williams at a meeting at the Carter White House and scuba diving on a geological expedition in the Florida Keys.
Post-graduation, Gregg combined his interests in his first job on Wall Street, working as a commodities trader specializing in precious metals for Drexel Burnham Lambert and living in both New York and London. Only a few months after arriving in Manhattan, Gregg met the love of his life and best friend, Marianne O’Connell, at a party on the Upper East Side; starting a romance that would happily carry them through the next forty-five years. After a few years in finance, Gregg returned to law school, moving to Baltimore to attend the University of Maryland. A member of the University of Maryland Law Review, Gregg graduated with honors in 1985 and returned to New York. Gregg was an associate at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft before joining his client, AIG Financial Products, which precipitated a move to Connecticut and the start of a new adventure. Over the next thirty years, Gregg worked across multiple financial institutions, devising derivative swaps and products to structure complex financial transactions while building lasting friendships with many colleagues.
Gregg married Marianne O’Connell in 1985, building a strong and devoted marriage grounded in their shared faith and focus on family. Family was the center of Gregg’s world, particularly his three children, Laura Leigh, Julia, and James. After his daughter Julia’s passing in 1999, Gregg served as the bedrock of his immediate and extended family, unwavering in his deep faith and guiding them through grief to rebuild a life filled with joy. As his children grew, Gregg evolved with his family, shifting roles from protector to trusted friend and confidant.
A consummate renaissance man, Gregg had a passion for travel, traveling extensively for business and always eager to share the places he visited with his family. His deep knowledge of foreign affairs and natural curiosity led him to plan innumerable family vacations, visiting St. Petersburg, Venice, Ephesus, Hawaii, Whistler, Sea Pines, and many more, all the while creating memories his family will always treasure.
Gregg’s quiet but deep faith guided all aspects of his life and interaction with those he met. A true gentleman, his selflessness, patience, and generosity were evident in how he always looked for ways to help and be of service to others, evidenced by his devoted interest and care for many members of his extended family. Even though he was an incredibly intelligent and accomplished man, Gregg’s natural humility always shifted the focus to those around him. A great listener, Gregg made people feel welcome and at ease. Since his cancer diagnosis over two years ago, Gregg gracefully faced it the same way he lived his life, with a positive attitude, an appreciation for each day he was given, and a focus on those around him. In his death, just as during his life, Gregg’s family and friends will seek to emulate his many wonderful qualities, aspiring someday to be even half the man he was.
Gregg will be terribly missed by so many who loved him on earth, but his family takes comfort in knowing that, as a true “good and faithful servant,” he is joyfully reunited in heaven with his daughter Julia, his parents, and so many who loved him. He is survived by his wife of 40 years, Marianne O’Connell Neville; his children, Laura Leigh and James; his son-in-law, Michael O’Connor; and his grandson, Neville Jeremiah O’Connor, as well as many cherished in-laws, nieces, nephews, and friends. In addition to his daughter, Gregg is predeceased by his parents, Grace, Rosalie, and Jeremiah Neville, his aunts Joan Neville Kraus and Dorothy Mulcahy Bernholdt, and his in-laws, Joseph and Margaret O’Connell.
A wake will be held on Friday, March 20, from 3–7pm at Hoyt Funeral Home in New Canaan, with a funeral Mass at 10am on Saturday, March 21, at the Egan Chapel at Fairfield University.
The Family is being compassionately cared for by the staff at Hoyt Funeral Home, 199 Main Street, New Canaan CT 06840
For online condolences please visit www.hoytfuneralhome.com.
Peace to the Neville family, I remember Greg as the kind and generous family guy. May you wear those wings proudly my friend.