Douglas John Corrigan, 87, of South Brownell Road in Williston, Vt., died on Sunday, December 7, 2025, at the University of Vermont Medical Center after a serious illness.
He was born on Roosevelt Island, New York City, on August 6, 1938, named after the pilot Douglas “Wrong Way” Corrigan, who famously duped authorities by taking to the air and flying to Ireland after being cleared to fly California. Doug was the youngest of 10 children born to Bernard and Margaret (O’Donnell) Corrigan. He grew up in Flushing, N.Y., where he made friendships in his school years that would last his lifetime. After graduating from Jamaica High School in 1956, he served in the U.S. Army at Maine’s Loring Airforce Base as a radar operator. As a veteran, he leveraged the G.I. Bill and admission to C.W. Post College to pursue his undergraduate degree. With characteristic determination, he took trains and buses, walked, and hitchhiked to get to and from school.
He was accomplished in and out of the classroom, including playing football for the Post Pioneers and drums for the Continentals, a local cover band. He graduated college in 1964, which marked a milestone to his ultimate goal: a career in the FBI. After a few character-building detours, Doug graduated from Quantico in 1966. For the rest of his life, he would recount tales of his days in the North Carolina and San Francisco field offices, but his eventual posting in the midtown New York City office was not just a career summit but also a homecoming. Not long after settling back in, Doug attended a lively party in Manhattan, encountering Birgitta Mechtenburg of Essen, Germany, in the hallway. They married in April 1971 (in both the U.S. and Germany!) and raised daughters Natascha and Allana in their longtime home on Long Island. After 24 years as a special agent, he retired and applied his experience in anti-piracy work for the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and finally as a private investigator.
Alongside the FBI, Doug’s passions were travel and skiing. He skied all over the world, but perhaps his favorite place in all the world (judging by how much it occupied conversation) was Mad River Glen, where he became a founding shareholder. Visits to MRG became a routine after Doug and Birgitta’s postretirement move to Williston, Vt.
After 15 years as a proud Vermonter, Doug peacefully passed away in Burlington on December 7, 2025. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Birgitta; his two daughters, Natascha Aldridge (Jeremy) and Allana Sexton (Todd); his two grandsons, William Douglas and Ethan Alexander Aldridge; and stepbrother Robert Toephert.
He was proceeded in death by his parents, Bernard and Margaret; stepmother, Josephine; sisters, Rosemary (Vasko), Patricia (Visachelli) and Margaret (Tyrell); brothers, Bernard, Andrew, Thomas, James, Edward and Joseph; and stepbrother John Toephert.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, December 19, 2025, 2 to 4 p.m., at the Ready Funeral Home South Chapel, Burlington. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, December 20, 2025, 11 a.m., at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in South Burlington, with interment to follow in Resurrection Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Nature Conservancy.
Arrangements are in the care of Ready Funeral & Cremation Services. To share online condolences, please visit readyfuneral.com.
This article appears in The Reading Issue 2025.
We will miss you! Love you Forever!
Nancy