Former New York Police Det. Gerard Brady may have been retired, but his family said he was far from leading an idle life.
At 51, Brady was healthy, worked two security guard jobs and kept his body in top shape. And so his relatives were baffled yesterday by his sudden death Monday night after he collapsed while running a race.
State Park police said Brady, of Islip Terrace, was in the midst of a 5-mile run at Heckscher State Park when he collapsed about 7:50 p.m. He died later in Southside Hospital in Bay Shore.
Brady was one of about 1,500 participants in the run, part of the Summer Run series that takes place every Monday night at various parks, State Park Police Maj. Richard O'Donnell said.
It was not known yesterday what caused Brady to collapse.
His sister-in-law, Mary Rose, said Brady ran several miles daily and enjoyed skiing. His youngest daughter, Brigid Louise Brady, 18, often ran alongside him.
"We still don't know what happened," Rose, 47, of Mastic Beach, said. "He was healthy."
Brady retired in March 2002 as an New York City detective in the 103rd Precinct in Jamaica, Queens, Rose said. During his 20-year police career, he also worked in the narcotics unit and a specialized plainclothes unit.
After retiring from the force, he worked as a security guard at the Northport VA Medical Center and John T. Mather Memorial Hospital in Port Jefferson.
Immediately after graduating from an upstate boys' boarding high school, Brady enlisted in the Air Force, serving from 1972 to 1976, his family said.
This Oct. 18, he and his wife Therese Brady-Feeney, 50, would have celebrated 24 years of marriage. Brady-Feeney was too distraught to speak in depth about her husband yesterday, but wanted others to know he was a hard worker who provided well for their four children. "He was a great father," she said through tears. "He loved his family."
The couple met in Islip Terrace, where Brady-Feeney worked in a photo lab across the street from the deli where Brady worked before joining the police department, Rose said.
In addition to Brigid Louise, the Bradys have another daughter, Sarah Patricia, 22, and two sons, Brendan Gerard, 21, and Colin Patrick, 19. All live at their home in Islip Terrace.
Brady is also survived by an older sister, Patricia Patnode of New Jersey and an older brother, John Brady, of California.
Funeral arrangements were not complete yesterday.
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