Neighbors

Park dedication held for Malverne firefighter

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Village leaders and members of the Malverne Fire Department gathered on Broadway Avenue to name a park for Malvernite and firefighter Paul Ryan Brady on May 16. Brady’s family also joined the dedication as the park was renamed Paul Ryan Brady Memorial Park.

Brady was an active firefighter in the Malverne Fire Department for more than six years before he died in the line of duty in 2006. He was 42.

“Paul was a kind, fun-loving, warm and generous person,” said Malverne Firefighter David Gildea. “All of us who knew Paul can add this park to places like the firehouse where we feel a connection with Paul, and think about the good times we had with him.”

Malverne Mayor Keith Corbett, Malverne Fire Chief Ernie Bohringer and Brady’s sister, Pat, unveiled the sign at the conclusion of the dedication ceremony. Other village leaders who attended the dedication were Fire Commissioner and Village Trustee Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick and Village Trustee Lauren Touchard. In addition to the park renaming, Brady has also been recognized on the New York State Fallen Firefighter Memorial Wall and the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Foundation, among other memorials and honors.

The Malverne Fire Department pays tribute to Brady each year during its annual Memorial Service, as well as several less formal gatherings such as Brady’s birthday and visits to the cemetery to visit him.

Courtesy Malverne Fire Department; compiled by Nakeem Grant