Frederick Joseph Gilligan, Jr. of Manhattan, NY and Concord, MA died on October 2, 2021 at the age of 85 following a brief illness. He leaves two daughters and their spouses, Leigh Gilligan and Jeremy Sternberg of Newton and Erin Gilligan and Hoil Kim of Chestnut Hill, three grandchildren, Sebastian Gilligan-Kim, Tal Sternberg and Marni Sternberg and many other cherished family and friends. Fred was born and raised in the Inwood section of Manhattan. He was a gifted student and attended Stuyvesant High School where he was a standout pitcher for the baseball team. From there, he went to the City College of NY and graduated with a B.A. in Math and Physics. He met his wife, Margaret Ann McKenna, then a Hunter College High School senior, on a blind date and they were married from 1959 until her death in 2017. He had a long and illustrious career in the aerospace industry working with, among others, Fairchild Instrument Company, Perkin Elmer and Itek Corporation. He was a frequent visitor at the Pentagon and the US Capitol as he assisted in the development of cutting-edge reconnaissance technology. Career highlights included working on the team responsible for getting images from the historic 1969 Apollo 11 lunar landing back to earth in real time and the 336-pound panoramic camera used for further exploration when Apollo 15 went back to the moon in 1971. Later he worked on the Hubble Telescope and received numerous commendations for his work on the U-2 and SR-71 aircraft. Despite the constant travel, many multi-state moves and daily political challenges, he loved his job and reluctantly retired in 2006 as the Head of Business Development for Goodrich Aerospace Corporation. In his later years, he was a proud and dedicated member and mentor in Alcoholics Anonymous. Always quick with a chocolate and a bon mot, he will be most remembered for his energetic, proud and steadfast devotion to his family, his allegiance to the US, and his tenacity, generosity, and humor. A private service honoring Fred will take place in the future. Please call Dee Funeral Home at 978-369-2030 for additional information. For online condolences, please visit DeeFuneralHome.com. Arrangements are under the care of Dee Funeral Home & Cremation Service of Concord.