Remembering the Legend — Patrick Brady

By Katie McFadden

“Larger than life” are the only words to truly describe a Rockaway legend like Pat Brady. It is a phrase being shared by friends, family, co-workers and the many others who had the pleasure of knowing him, as they mourn and remember the late firefighter. On Saturday, November 8, while battling a fire in Brooklyn, that life was taken too soon.

Patrick Brady died doing what he did best—serving others. He responded to an all-hands fire with his Ladder Company 120 in Brownsville just after 9 p.m. on Saturday. In an effort to save others, Brady was working the roof when he suffered a medical episode and went into cardiac arrest. His fellow FDNY Firefighters and EMS members immediately attended to their brother and transported him to Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center, where he died. Brady was 42.

Brady had 11 years on the job. He followed in the footsteps of several FDNY family members including his own Brady brothers, Jimmy and Brian, his cousin, Peter and his uncles, Kenny, Peter and Michael. He got on the job in 2014, first assigned to Engine 227 in Brooklyn, before transferring to Ladder 120 in 2022. He dedicated his life to service with the FDNY, after climbing the Rockaway ladder of service to his community.

Brady attended Catholic schools throughout his life, starting at St. Francis de Sales, then on to Xavier as part of the class of 2001, and on to Belmont Abbey College, class of 2006, where he studied sports management. Brady was an athlete himself, having played rugby for the Rockaway Fisheads, the local Rugby organization that his father, Dennis, helped start. He went on to play at Xavier, at Belmont Abbey and then for FDNY Rugby, always maintaining that strength required to save others in dangerous situations.

He began his career of service in 1998, saving lives as a New York City lifeguard, mostly working at 106 Shack through summer 2004. That service to the community continued as a sports counselor for the Rockaway Artists Alliance’s summer camp. He continued to work in Gateway National Recreation area, as an Administrative Assistant and then Facility Service Assistant, helping to take care of areas from Floyd Bennett Field to Riis Park, until he finally had the opportunity to serve with the FDNY, appointed July 14, 2014.

But while he died doing that job he loved, dedicating his life to saving others, for those in Rockaway, it will be the other ways Brady served those around him that they’ll remember most. As FDNY Captain Scott Coyne said outside of a bunting ceremony at Ladder 120 on Sunday, November 9, as fellow FDNY members gathered in mourning and disbelief, Brady “just brightened up the room. He made friends with everybody. You know, when you look back at your own life, you would always want to be like a figure that is like Pat Brady.”

Brady served with his friendship, ones he formed for a lifetime, and many along the way, everywhere he went. It’s why his wake is likely being held at Marine Park Funeral Home, to accommodate the massive crowds expected at the end of the week. His best and longest friend, Bernadette McCann, can vouch for that lasting friendship herself. “Pat and I grew up on 129th Street, next door to each other. I was born in January and Pat in March. We attended Saint Francis De Sales together and our friendship bond lasted to the day he took his last breath,” she said. “The guy was larger than life.” And the loss is insurmountable. “This feeling I have right now is beyond comprehension. I am totally heartbroken,” McCann said.

Others got to know Brady through his gigs behind the stick. To a longtime job at Connolly’s in the summers, to more recent times serving at the rebuilt Harbor Light and occasionally newcomer Adrienne’s, thousands have been served by Brady, and many were gifted buybacks, along with that contagious smile.

Brady was a servant of laughs and good times behind the bar, in front of the bar, and everywhere he went in life. Many will remember him for his antics as a memorable wedding guest, often rising above the crowds, whether standing on a chair or flying through the air into a group of friends. Many knew him as the guy leading the annual Mustache Bash, with a proud mustache on his face, and one to match at the front of his bike as he led his Rockaway brothers on the charitable pub crawl around town. Many will never forget how he turned his 40th birthday bash at The Rockaway Hotel on April Fool’s Day 2023, into the biggest and best prank. After an outfit change, Brady and his longtime love and now wife, Kara, shocked the crowd as they announced that they gathered everyone not just for Brady’s birthday, but their wedding.

Saturday’s tragic events have many wishing it was just another one of Brady’s pranks, as the reality of the news sets in, and Brady’s face is deservedly featured on front pages of newspapers across New York City, for the worst reason. As a servant to the city of New York, Brady’s passing has been acknowledged publicly from many leaders, including outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, who announced the dreadful news at Brookdale Hospital late Saturday night.  “Firefighter Patrick Brady gave his life protecting the city we all love; there is no sacrifice that is more selfless than the actions that took place this evening,” Adams said. “Firefighter Brady came from a family of firefighters — all dedicated to protecting the lives of their fellow New Yorkers. I would like to express my deepest sympathy to his wife, Kara, and his entire family during this difficult time.”

And the FDNY publicly released information regarding his funeral arrangements, which will surely have Marine Park Funeral Home and the roads surrounding St. Francis de Sales Church packed with fellow firefighters, in the same way Brady did for late firefighter Timmy Klein, who Rockaway lost just three and a half years ago. Patrick Brady’s public wake will be held Friday, November 14, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Marine Park Funeral Home (3024 Quentin Rd, Brooklyn). His funeral Mass will be Saturday, November 15 at 11 a.m., at his parish church, St. Francis de Sales (129-16 Rockaway Beach Boulevard.)

Our thoughts and prayers are with Pat Brady’s parents, Susan and Dennis, his brothers, Jimmy and Brian, his beloved wife, Kara, his beloved dog, Konan, his extended family, and his many, many friends. Pat Brady will be incredibly missed and will never be forgotten.