Kevin Joseph Concagh

Kevin Joseph Concagh, 77, passed away on September 21st, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona, surrounded by his family.

Kevin was born in Weehawken, New Jersey, to Loretta Ethel Daly Concagh and Joseph Patrick Concagh. He grew up on Long Beach Island, New Jersey, where an early connection to the water and outdoors would become part of a lifelong love of adventure and the natural world.

His life took him many places. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in Geology and later taught at Whiteman School in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He went on to live in Venice, California; Portal and Paradise in Arizona's Chiricahua Mountains; Patagonia, Arizona; and Tucson. He served in the Army and Air Force Reserves during the Vietnam War era.

Kevin was one of those people who seemed to know how to do a little bit of everything - and usually quite a lot more than a little. Over the course of his life, he worked as a lifeguard, teacher, carpenter and contractor, and solar consultant. He built houses and furniture, creating things meant to be lived in, used, and enjoyed. He was skilled with his hands, endlessly curious, and generous with his knowledge. Whether the subject was building something, solar energy, rocks and geology, technology, or one of the many things that caught his interest, Kevin shared his expertise and passions with others in an effortless and genuine way.

He loved whitewater rafting and was, to many, "your favorite river guide." He loved to camp and take road trips, always drawn to the freedom of the open road and the chance to explore somewhere new. He loved hiking, bird watching, playing the drums and guitar, going to the movies, reading, speaking Spanish, traveling to Mexico, trying new foods and new technology, eating sushi, and planting trees. He cared deeply about the natural world and about building and living in ways that were sustainable and environmentally responsible.

Kevin was intelligent, empathetic, witty, adventurous, kind, determined, curious, funny, skilled, complicated, and deeply human. His life was not one easily reduced to a few sentences. He was a person of many chapters, interests, talents, and stories - always learning something, building something, exploring something, or sharing something he had learned along the way.

Of everything he accomplished and created, his children were among his greatest sources of pride. Kevin was father to Kelly L. Concagh DelSignore (Michael David DelSignore), Teryn Denise Concagh Thress (Ryan Joseph Thress), and Landon Joseph Concagh. He was known simply as "Pop" to his grandchildren: Sadie Eve DelSignore, Linden Michael DelSignore, Reyla Joy DelSignore, Remi Harlow Thress, and Joley Concagh. Pop introduced them to sushi and could often be counted on to have a sweet but healthy treat to share - frequently chocolate or black licorice.

Kevin is also survived by his sister, Denise Concagh Pallozzi; his brother-in-law, Ralph Pallozzi; and his former wife, Lynn Eggleston.

The final moments of Kevin's life gave his family an opportunity to know him in a different way. In vulnerability, there was closeness. There were meals shared together, stretches of quiet, memories revisited, laughter in unexpected places, and time to notice the small things that can sometimes be missed over the course of a lifetime. Those moments became a reminder that a life can be complicated and beautiful at the same time.

Kevin leaves behind pieces of himself in the people who knew him - in the things he taught them, the places he took them, the things he built, the stories they will continue to tell, and perhaps in the way they notice and care for the natural world around them.

A celebration of Kevin's life will be announced at a later date.

In Kevin's memory, his family invites those who knew him to plant a tree or make a donation to their local animal shelter - a small act of care for the living world he valued so deeply.