Late FDNY fi refi ghter honored with street co-naming
FDNY fi refi ghters raise fl ags at half staff and salute in honor of Mark McKay. Schneps Media / Steven Goodstein
BY STEVEN GOODSTEIN
AND MATTHEW MCKAY, JR.
A ceremony was recently held to
honor the legacy of one of New York’s
bravest.
On Saturday, February 15, a street
co-naming ceremony was held for late
FDNY lieutenant Mark Walter McKay,
who passed away in 2012.
The street co-naming ceremony took
place two days after what would have
been McKay’s 56th birthday, at the intersection
of Ellis and Parsifal places,
which is now offi cially known as ‘Lieutenant
Mark W. McKay Way.’
The ceremony was attended by over
100 FDNY fi refi ghters, Councilman
Mark Gjonaj, along with friends and
family members who came out to support
their fallen hero.
McKay was born on February 13,
1964 in the Bronx and grew up at 3173
Parsifal Place, where his parents still
live today.
He was appointed to the FDNY for
the city on April 8, 1985 and worked his
fi rst two years in Engine Company 38
before serving in Ladder Company 27
as well as Rescue 4.
In December of 1997, McKay was promoted
to the FDNY position of lieutenant,
which he served as for the remainder
of his career until his retirement on
November 15, 2005.
McKay received awards for his service
and acts of bravery in 1991, 1992,
2003 and 2004.
Lieutenant McKay was also a fi rst
responder at the World Trade Center
during the September 11, 2001 terrorist
attacks.
A few years after his retirement,
Mark discovered that he had Ewing
Sarcoma, an extremely rare form of
cancer that grows in the bones or in the
soft tissue around the bones, as a result
of his 9/11 recovery efforts.
He fi rst beat the cancer in his hip
and then a second time in his lungs.
The cancer then reoccurred again in
both his hip and his lungs - and he eventually
passed away as a result of illness
at Calvary Hospital. He was 48.
Since the September 11 attacks,
which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000
victims, there have been over 200 deaths
resulting from 9/11 health-related issues.
“Mark loved the fi re department,”
said Pastor Dolores McKay, Mark’s
mom. “He loved his brothers in the
FDNY and loved serving the people of
the city of New York.”
“Today, we proudly honor the memory
of retired FDNY lieutenant Mark
W. McKay - who was revered in the
community and beloved throughout the
city,” said Councilman Mark Gjonaj. of
what it means to sacrifi ce and put others
fi rst.”
“In 50 years, a child will walk down
this street, look up and ask who Lieutenant
Mark W. McKay was - and someone
will say, ‘come here kid, let me tell you
about a great man’,” said FDNY Chaplain
Father Joe Hoffman.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,18 FEBRUARY 21-27, 2020 BTR
Portrait of Lieutenant Michael McKay.
Photo courtesy of James McSherry
McKay’s FDNY jacket and helmet with a note
from the McKay family. Photo by James McSherry
“This street co-naming is a reminder
of the service and sacrifi ce that Mark
gave to this city,” said FDNY Borough
Commander Christopher Boyle.
McKay is survived by his wife,
Belinda, his children, Melissa and
Mark, his parents, Harrison and Dolores
and his siblings, Dolores, Denise,
Donna and Matthew.
“My uncle was cremated with his
ashes spread in the water, a place he
loved - which left him without a headstone,”
said Matthew McKay, Jr. “Now,
this sign will serve as an eternal resting
place for his name, legacy, heroism
and spirit.”
Before his passing, McKay built a
home for his wife and kids on Carroll
Street on City Island, where they reside
today
Councilman Mark Gjonaj with the parents and family members of Mark McKay. Photo courtesy of James McSherry