How Carey HS star athlete James McGrath Jr. persevered despite losing both of his parents

Despite enduring tragedy, Carey High School senior James McGrath Jr. feels blessed.

The 17-year-old football and lacrosse star lost both of his parents by age 11. Yet McGrath is filled with a sense of gratitude for the love and support of his three older siblings — sisters Kim and Kelly-Ann and brother Patrick — as well as the stability and strength provided by his Carey teammates and coaches.

Without it, McGrath isn’t sure he could have persevered.

“We truly are the definition of a family,” he said. “I wouldn’t be where I am in life without my brother and sisters.”

McGrath’s mother, Tracy McGrath, died of colon cancer in 2020. She was 51. McGrath’s father, James Patrick McGrath Sr., died of a heart attack in December 2010. He was 41.

“I want to make them proud every day,” James said of his parents. “It’s comforting to believe they are looking over me. I think about them every day.”

After losing both parents, the McGrath siblings pulled together as a family, with a focus on James. He was raised by his sisters, Kim Murchie, 29, and Kelly-Ann McGrath, 23, and his brother, Patrick McGrath, 25.

“We mourned together,” Murchie said. “James was our priority. And as much as he needed us, we needed him .  .  . We did it all together. I’m the oldest and I’m a little bit bossier. My sister was the voice of reason and Patrick was the jokester.”

Kelly-Ann, who is an assistant coach for the Adelphi women’s lacrosse team, said this time of year can be difficult.

“The holidays are hard, but we lean on each other,” she said. “It’s a chance to sit around and talk about good times. We’re blessed to have each other, and that makes the tougher times a whole lot easier. I’m extremely grateful for my siblings.”

‘She inspired us to stick together’

James McGrath Sr. was the owner of A-1 McGrath Roofing and Siding and a Local 40 ironworker. His unexpected death forced Tracy McGrath to raise her four children alone.

“My mom was an amazing person in so many ways,” said Murchie, an elementary school teacher in Queens. “Mom moved forward and focused on her children and what needed to be done. She was the most giving and selfless person in the most difficult of times.”

James was 3 at the time of his father’s death.

“I was so young,” he said. “I never got to know the man who built our phenomenal family. My family shared all the stories about my father. It felt like I knew him.”

Patrick was 11 when his father died.

“My dad passed super-young,” he said. “He was my idol.”

Patrick said James has many of his father’s character traits: always being on time or even early, an intense personality and always goal-oriented.

“My mom was special in many ways, and she doted on James, her youngest,” Patrick said. “She was going to make sure he had all the opportunities we had, and she wanted us to make him the priority. And we did.”

Tracy McGrath wanted to make sure James would have as normal a life as possible.

“My mom was our rock when my dad died,” Murchie said. “I was only 15 years old at the time. It was tragic. But Mom turned tragedy into triumph. We were her world and everything she did was for us. She inspired us to stick together.”

‘The worst day of my life’

Tragedy struck again when Tracy McGrath was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2020. After a five-month battle and time spent at Memorial Sloan Kettering in Manhattan, she died on Sept. 13, 2020.

In her final hours, she asked James’ siblings to keep the family close and to take care of James, who was just starting the seventh grade.

“My mother died during the pandemic and it was hard to see her in the hospital because they limited how many people could go into her room,” James said. “I’ll never forget the day she passed. My sisters came into the bedroom to break the awful news. I was shocked. She was the biggest role model in my life — the best person you could have. It was the worst day of my life.”

The town came together to celebrate Tracy McGrath’s life with a balloon ceremony at a local park in Franklin Square.

“When Mom died, it really impacted James the most — he was fortunate to have a great relationship with her,” Patrick said.

Patrick, who was a three-sport athlete at Carey in football, basketball and lacrosse, just finished his last semester at SUNY Maritime and will take the Coast Guard exam in January. He knows the importance of team sports and the camaraderie and inclusion that goes with a group working toward a common goal.

“In everything you do, it’s not the cards you’re dealt, it’s the way you play those cards,” he said. “We’ve had a tough hand, but we’ve come through well. Our family is as tight as ever and I’m proud of my little brother.”

‘I absolutely love the kid’

Carey football coach Mike Stanley said James is a driven athlete who built himself into a two-way starter for the Seahawks football team. He also trained hard to earn a lacrosse scholarship to play midfield and/or attack at Adelphi University in the fall of 2026.

“He comes to practice every day with a smile on his face,” Stanley said. “James doesn’t ask or require special attention. And he has every reason to carry a chip and be problematic, and he’s the opposite of all that. I’m not speaking for myself; I’m speaking for everyone. I absolutely love the kid.”

James was a contributor to Carey’s Long Island Class II championship team in 2024 and was a Newsday All-Long Island second-team selection in 2025. He led the Seahawks with four interceptions this season.

“His role grew as our season went on,” Stanley said. “We had some key injuries, and he stepped into those positions and became our Mr. Versatility.”

He scored seven touchdowns in the final four games: one by kick return, two rushing, two receiving and two passing.

Perhaps the most emotional moment came on senior day, Oct. 25, when the parents walk the players onto the field.

James was proudly escorted onto the field — to a standing ovation — by Kim, Patrick and Kelly-Ann.

“It made me feel so loved,” James said.

He feels a close bond with his teammates, too. “Football has been the greatest experience of my life,” he said. “I still talk to guys on the LIC team. We’re a tight-knit group, like family.”

‘Carved his own path’

James keeps his parents close to his heart every time he takes the field.

“As a tribute, I wear No. 16 in football in honor of my mom for the date of her birthday,” he said. “And I wear No. 19 in lacrosse in honor of my dad. It was his lacrosse number in high school.”

His next chapter in this journey will take him to Adelphi, where Kelly-Ann works and where she was a two-time women’s lacrosse All-American.

“I’m very excited that James is coming to Adelphi,” Kelly-Ann said. “He’ll be coming to my office in between classes and we’ll get to see each other. I’m proud that my brother has carved his own path.”