Kevin Brady, lawyer, Nassau bar member, LIBOR member, advocate, dies at 38

Kevin Brady made a habit of checking in on people.

Whether it was a morning text, a birthday message or a phone call, Brady found small ways to let people know they mattered, friends and family said. He continued doing so even while undergoing treatment for stage 4 colorectal cancer.

His roommate, Ron Zacchi, knew Brady stayed in touch with a lot of people. It wasn’t until Brady’s wake, attended by more than 300 mourners, that he realized how many.

"I heard one person say, ‘Well, I thought I was special, but I guess we’re all special,’" Ron recalled.

Brady, 38, grew up in Levittown and later lived in Astoria, Queens, building a career in public service and advocacy. He died June 12 of colorectal cancer in hospice care at Mount Sinai Queens Hospital. Friends and colleagues remembered him as an advocate and mentor whose greatest impact was the relationships he forged.

"There was not a day that went by that most people in Kevin’s network did not get his love language," said Lauren Corcoran-Doolin, a close friend for nearly 15 years. "He did something that nobody else I’ve ever known does as well, which is follow up."

Born to Pat and Brian Brady on Aug. 23, 1987, Kevin showed a curiosity that set him apart from an early age. While other children chased soccer balls, his mother recalled, Brady wandered off to explore the scenery.

"He ran around the field, but not to the ball," Pat Brady said. "He would be looking at the plants, looking at different things. It just, to me, seemed beyond his years."

Brady earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Stony Brook University, his master's degree from Queens College and a Juris Doctor from the City University of New York School of Law.

"He loved the game of politics ... but he was so invested in it because he knew the consequences were real and that they really mattered," Corcoran-Doolin said.

That commitment to public service shaped his career. Brady co-founded the Nassau County Bar Association’s LGBTQ Committee, mentoring students and young professionals, before joining the Long Island Board of Realtors as government affairs director for Queens in 2023.

There, he helped lead the association’s first independent expenditure campaign, strengthened relationships with elected officials and expanded participation in Pride events. He was also recognized by Long Island Business News as one of its 2025 40 Under Forty honorees.

"I was a one-woman shop for a long time, and bringing him in helped to elevate that," LIBOR colleague Marlo Paventi said. "He bridged the gaps in a lot of ways for our members to be present in the more local advocacy that we were doing."

His commitment to others never wavered after his cancer diagnosis. Even during one of his first chemotherapy sessions, Brady’s mother recalled him joining Zoom meetings while nurses prepared his treatment.

"He showed up for me during my personal tragedies in ways I can never pay back," Paventi said.

Brady’s instinct to help others extended to the smallest moments, his mother said.

After his grandmother’s death, relatives gathered at her home. When an aunt needed an item from a shed across the yard, others brushed off the request, but Brady immediately volunteered.

Family members later told his mother that when his aunt asked for help, Brady simply replied, "What do you need? I will get it," before trudging through the wet grass in a pair of new suede shoes to retrieve it. "No questions asked," she said.

Brady also found joy in life’s everyday routines. He loved cooking, often sending his family photos and videos of his latest "mishmash" creations simmering on the stove, his mother said.

Outside of work, he stayed active through kickboxing, regular gym workouts and acupuncture. He loved old disco music and weekends spent dancing with friends. His mother said she introduced him to the genre, which later inspired a playlist he shared with his brother, Matthew.

In addition to his parents, Brady is survived by his brother, Matthew, who was "privileged to reverse the role" and help care for his older brother during his illness, Pat Brady said. A wake was held on June 17 at Frederick Funeral Home in Flushing, Queens. A funeral Mass was celebrated on June 18 at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Malba, Queens. In accordance with his wishes, Brady was cremated and his ashes remain with his parents.

After his death, friends realized they had all shared the same experience. Brady remembered birthdays, celebrated milestones and checked in during life’s difficult moments, leaving each convinced they held a special place in his life.

"What surprised us wasn’t that 300 people came," Corcoran-Doolin said. "It was that every one of them felt like they were part of Kevin’s inner circle."