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.
“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
BRONX W www.BXTimes.com EEKLY February 23, 2020 6
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
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
Councilman Mark Gjonaj with the parents and family members of Mark McKay. Photo courtesy of James McSherry
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