Brian McCauley, fire patrolman, dies at 42

A funeral Mass was celebrated on Thursday to honor the life of Brian McCauley, a retired patrolman with the New York City Board of Underwriters from North Merrick who died Sunday. He was 42. The cause was cancer.

The funeral procession for McCauley, which wound through North Merrick, was more than 50 cars long. On Meadowbrook Road just south of the Southern State Parkway, the Bellmore and Merrick fire departments set up a bridge with two tower ladders, with a giant American flag draped down the center. The procession slowly passed through the ladders before getting on the Southern State headed for St. Charles Cemetery in Farmingdale, where burial took place.

McCauley, who had volunteered with the North Merrick Fire Department, was remembered for his bravery volunteering at ground zero with the fire patrol in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. He spent 16 days digging through the rubble at "the pile."

He was the son of Virginia McCauley and former North Merrick Fire Department chief Terrence McCauley. In addition to his parents, he is survived by his sisters Amy McCauley of North Merrick and Diane McCauley of Massapequa, and brother, T.J. McCauley of North Bellmore.

N.F. Walker Funeral Home in Merrick handled the arrangements.