Michael Eugene Woods

Michael Eugene Woods, 64, of Seaside Park, NJ, passed away Monday, June 15, 2026.

Born in Columbia, SC, Michael was always a southern boy at heart. As a young boy, he moved to the Bronx, NY. In his teenage years, he moved with his family to Parlin, NJ. Once married, he raised his two beloved daughters in East Brunswick, NJ before moving to Seaside Park in 2014.

Michael was the warmest, most generous, and kindhearted soul, whose love and compassion touched everyone who knew him. His loved ones always felt that he embodied the valor of a viking warrior. Michael showed all of us how to persevere and rise up in the throes of adversity. He left an everlasting mark on everyone he touched. His spirit will live inside all of us until we meet again: Miracle Mike, our hero.

Michael truly loved living right across from the bay and had an immense sense of pride for his home in Seaside Park. On his best days, he enjoyed a ten out of ten beach day at Midway Beach, surrounded by family and friends. Bonus points if there was a sandbar forming across the glistening ocean. You’d find him biking from his house all the way to the base of Island Beach State Park, he was an excellent cyclist. And at the end of a long day in the sun, he’d love to close it out with a family barbecue surrounded by his loved ones, or cozying up on his deck with a drink in hand, watching the seagulls glide across the big blue sky.

Michael enjoyed the simple pleasures in life almost as much as he loved his big adventures. He’d spend his mornings with a hot coffee in hand, and loved to chit-chat on the deck. He had a passion for music; he wouldn’t just listen but he would feel it deep in his soul. Music was always a huge part of his life, and as a young man he was a guitarist and singer for his band, Skull Duggery. Michael shared his love of music with his daughters, brother and long-time companion.

Mike loved cooking, watching his favorite sports teams, and reading a good mystery thriller novel. Michael was a hardcore Yankees and Giants fan. Some of his greatest joys was taking his loved ones to New York City to see a Yankees game. One of his fondest memories was going to Arizona for Super Bowl XLII to watch the Giants beat the Patriots with his best friends.

Michael was Senior Director of Mainframe Services for Blue Hill Data Services in Pearl River, NY for many years. He had the honor of working alongside some of his very best friends. Michael was wicked smart and had a tremendous work ethic. When he became a father, he worked two jobs to fulfill his dream of raising his daughters part-time down the shore in Seaside Park. Summers were spent on the beach watching his children chasing seagulls, flying kites, teaching them to fish and crab, driving the waverunner, and taking his girls for rides on the boat. In doing so, he instilled grit, determination, and perseverance within his daughters.  

He was predeceased by his mother Peggy E. (nee Heffner) Woods.

Michael is survived by his two daughters Daniella Woods and her fiancé Chris Sterbenz of New York City, and Alexandra Nina Woods of Edison, NJ, his longtime companion Colleen Gallagher of Maywood, NJ and her two children Seamus and Rian Gallagher, his father Patrick J. Woods of Parlin, NJ, his brother Patrick Woods and sister in-law Barbara Woods of Jackson, NJ and his sister Peggy Woods and partner Tommy Garramone of Eatontown, NJ.  Michael was blessed with wonderful nieces and nephews who adored him, Allison and Jason Woods, and Brandon and Val Sems.

We will see Mike in the ocean waves at the Jersey shore, in the seagulls gliding overhead, and in the afterglow of every sunset to come.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Monday, June 22, 2026 1:00pm – 5:00pm with a funeral service to be offered at 4:00 PM at the Timothy E. Ryan Home for Funerals, 809 Central Ave., Seaside Park, NJ.

Condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.ryanfuneralhome.com.

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