Support for The Spillane Family

Justin Paul Spillane, 01/07/1980 – 07/11/2025

Justin Spillane, 45, passed away on July 11th. For the last 19 months, Justin fought a very aggressive cancer. From the moment he was diagnosed in December 2023, he went full steam at this battle. And to know Justin, you know the intensity, willpower and determination he brought to this fight. He fought for his Family, he fought for his Life. Leaving Allison and their five beautiful daughters was not an option for him, and his love for his family gave him the incredible strength to battle his awful diagnosis every single day with optimism and hope, endless courage and relentless grit. He fought relentlessly through the pain and setbacks. He absolutely refused to admit defeat.

Justin had an incredible Life Force. He was filled with it, brimming with it, he loved life. He was not ready to leave us, he had so much more to do, to accomplish, to live for, so much more life to live. He dove into everything he did with passion, intelligence, and his unique brand of charm and humor. When he set his mind to something, there was no doubt he would accomplish what he set out to do. Anything and everything was possible for Justin, he was unstoppable, his light burned so brightly.

And Justin brought his enthusiasm for life to everything he did. He was an incredible skier, baseball player and athlete. He loved music, Phish, live shows, and playing guitar. Justin was an excellent guitarist, constantly learning and growing, playing his beloved guitars in his basement while his girls dropped in sporadically to hang with Dad. “Music is medicine,” he would say, in the depths of his battle. He loved sports and watching games with his friends and family, his dollar bets on games. He loved projects on his house, studying the best way to lift his garage, renovate his house, building shelves, from the complex structural and electrical, to building electric skateboards and awesome halloween costumes for his daughters. He enjoyed getting into the smallest details, understanding how things worked, and applying his knowledge to make things better for those around him. He knew so many things on a deep and technical level. His impressive 20 plus year career at Goldman Sachs is a testament to this.

Justin was a great friend to many, his friendships were incredibly important to him. From Mannasquan to Penn State, to his Goldman Sachs coworkers and Phish family, and his Rockville Centre community, people were drawn to his charisma, his confidence, and great sense of humor. He was so appreciative of the support that his friends and family gave him through his battle with cancer, because he loved them, and they loved him.

Most importantly, Justin loved his family. He’d drop anything, at any time, to give Hailey and Julie a ride somewhere, to watch a game of Sarah’s, even when he was too sick to be there, and to stay home with Stella and Nina and be Dad on a Friday night. His daughters filled him with immense pride, all of them incredibly smart, witty, funny and beautiful, each with their own special personality that would always make him smile and laugh. And he loved his wife Allison, his partner, his teammate, his rock, who also always made him laugh. Together they created their wonderful family and their huge, awesome, brimming life.

You will be missed tremendously, Justin. We are all so lucky to have known you. We love you.

We know so many people want to help Allison and their daughters Hailey, Julie, Sarah, Stella and Nina. This GoFundMe has been set up to help shoulder the financial burden of losing Justin.

This was one of Justin’s favorite songs to sing and play on his guitar, in his basement late at night, the amps humming, his pedal board flickering, the lights turned low, the little spaceman light projector beaming stars and galaxies across the ceiling and walls.

Walls by Tom Petty

Some days are diamonds

Some days are rocks

Some doors are open

Some roads are blocked

Sundowns are golden

Then fade away

And if I never do nothin'

I'm coming back some day

'Cause you got a heart so big

It could crush this town

And I can't hold out forever

Even walls fall down

And all around your island

There's a barricade

It keeps out the danger

It holds in the pain

And sometimes you're happy

Sometimes you cry

Half of me is ocean

Half of me is sky

But you've got a heart so big

It could crush this town

And I can't hold out forever

Even walls fall down

And somethings are over

Some things go on

And part of me you carry

A part of me is gone

But you've got a heart so big

It could crush this town

And I can't hold out forever

Even walls fall down

Baby, you've got a heart so big

It could crush this town

And I can't hold out forever

Even walls fall down