12.23.2024

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Strange coda: Family of big Boston construction chief battles ex-wife - and top funeral home regulator - over funeral arrangements

It was a rags-to-riches story. Michael D. McNally launched Maverick Construction in 1996 from the back of a Southie bar, naming the company after his dog, a purebred Samoyed.

By the time he had succumbed to brain cancer in late November, McNally had built a powerhouse of a company, with contracts all over the world.

And the construction chief had even scripted his last, posthumous act, with detailed instructions for his funeral and the handling of his body, including plans for “a proper large Irish sendoff.”

But all those carefully laid arrangements were thrown into chaos in the days after McNally’s death on Nov. 22 when his ex-wife made an unwanted appearance, family members contend in a legal battle over the Maverick chief’s last wishes.

In particular, Kathleen McNally used her position as executive director of the state’s funeral home oversight board to intervene in the funeral arrangements, according to lawsuit filed in state court by Michael D. McNally’s children and siblings and reviewed by Contrarian Boston.

The late Michael D. McNally, who launched Maverick Construction in the backroom of a Southie bar and built it into a global powerhouse

Family members had requested that the West Roxbury funeral home, the William J. Gormley Funeral Service, not contact Kathleen McNally or involve her in the planning.

Yet the funeral director did, the family contends. Enter Kathleen McNally, who took over arrangements, and began planning instead for a private service, instead of the large send off her late ex had hoped for, including bucket trucks from Maverick and hanging Irish and American flags and bagpipes, according to the lawsuit filed in Suffolk County Superior Court.

McNally also insisted that her late ex-husband be interred in Ireland, despite his wishes, documented, that he be cremated, and managed to get an obituary published in the Globe listing her own arrangements, the family’s lawsuit contends.

When family members protested, the director of the funeral home “shrugged his shoulders” and said there was nothing he could do because Kathleen McNally, as executive director of the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Embalming and Funeral Directing, was “my boss,” according to the lawsuit.

In addition, McNally, the ex-wife, was also angling for an ownership stake in Maverick, family members contend in a lawsuit, citing texts she sent.

It’s not clear whether late Maverick construction chief got the big send off he had hoped for, though we certainly hope so. A LinkedIn post by the company listed a wake at a Maverick facility, followed by a funeral at Saint Brigid of Kildare Church in South Boston.

The case is still listed as open, with an attorney for Kathleen McNally having come on board in early December.

What’s beyond dispute is that Michael D. McNally, a graduate of Catholic Memorial and Boston College, built a very successful construction business.

Maverick has offices across the U.S. and Europe and projects across the world. Contracts include a $200 million deal with Amtrak to install trackside wireless broadband in the Northeast corridor.

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved CEO of Maverick Corporation, Michael McNally,” a post on Maverick’s LinkedIn page states. “A visionary leader, his dedication, passion, and commitment built our company and left a lasting impact on our industry.”

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