Sad Farewell For Firefighter Who
Endured 9/11 And Aided New Orleans
NY Daily News 8/15/09
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Fireman John McNamara, who toiled
in the toxic rubble of Ground Zero and the flooded streets of
hurricane ravaged New Orleans before cancer took his life, got a
hero's funeral Friday.
Friends, family and fellow firefighters packed St. Patrick's
Cathedral to say goodbye to the man they knew as a devoted
husband and father, jokester, role model and tireless fighter
for health benefits for 9/11 first responders.
About 200 firefighters and cops in full dress stood solemnly at
attention on Fifth Ave. as McNamara's coffin arrived on a
police-escorted fire engine - a procession usually reserved for
the Bravest who fall in the line of duty.
McNamara, 44, died earlier this week after a battle with
multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer that typically
affects people age 60 and older. Friends said he spent more than
500 hours at the World Trade Center site looking for bodies.
"He lost so many friends, but no matter how hard it was, he was
determined to bring his brothers home," explained McNamara's
wife, Jennifer. "John may not have died on 9/11, but it was his
work there that killed him."
Jennifer said that although weakened by pain and surgery, her
husband fought hard to live "so he could have just a little more
time" with their 3-year-old son, Jack, whom "he loved more than
life itself."
Little Jack carried his dad's helmet during the funeral
procession Friday.
lstandora@nydailynews.com
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