HS senior Brian McNamara of Levittown dies at 17

Standing 6 feet, 4 inches with broad shoulders, Brian McNamara seemed built for the world of athletics.

But the Levittown teenager broke his foot three years ago, and when the injury didn't heal correctly, his hopes of a baseball or basketball career ended. So McNamara dedicated himself to helping others with injuries, working part-time as a physical therapist aide while attending Division Avenue High School.

"He would go out of his way to help anybody, any day of the week," said his sister, Maggie McNamara, 21, of Levittown. "He put everybody before himself."

Brian McNamara, 17, was found dead Saturday afternoon in his locked bedroom. The cause of death is still unknown, but Nassau police, who responded at 2:39 p.m., said foul play was not suspected.

News of his death spread quickly among his many friends at Division, where he had just started senior year. Some could not bring themselves to come to class, while others saw counselors the school made available.

"He was really looking forward to this year," said Brian's cousin Conor McNamara, 15, a sophomore at Division.

Friends and family recalled a boisterous young man who had memorized a slew of humorous quotations from popular movies that he could deploy at will.

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"He could make you laugh so hard it hurt," said his close friend, Dillon Sykes, 17, a fellow senior. "He's just one of those people who had a genuine good heart. He's irreplaceable."

Sykes said he and several other classmates are dedicating their senior year to McNamara. Another group of students are having bracelets made, all of them green, Brian's favorite color.

This year, McNamara was planning to become an emergency medical technician, his sister said. For the last year, he had worked for New York Physical Therapy and Wellness in Levittown as a part-time aide after his own treatment there ended, Maggie McNamara said.

"He could connect with the patients," said another sister, Jane McNamara, 19, of Levittown. "He knew the pain you have to go through. He'd been there before himself. "

Brian McNamara was perhaps most at ease when he was out on his father Kevin McNamara's boat fishing and enjoying the peace of the water, his sisters said.

"He loved going on that boat," Jane McNamara said. "Whenever my dad had off of work, that's where they'd be."

In addition to his father and two sisters, McNamara is survived by his mother, Anne, all of Levittown.

Visitation will be held at Charles J. O'Shea Funeral Home in Wantagh Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 to 5 p.m. and from 7 to 9 p.m. A Mass of Christian burial will be said on Thursday at 10 a.m. at St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church in Levittown. Interment will follow at Holy Rood Cemetery in Westbury.