Kevin
H. Bracken
An Avid Golfer Who Was Up for Anything
November 5, 2001
The
morning of the attacks, Kevin Bracken and his wife, Jennifer Liang,
left their Upper West Side home together and parted company at
the polling booths, where the couple said goodbye for the last
time, said Kerry Katz, a longtime family friend.
Shortly
after arriving at his firehouse, Engine Co. 40-Ladder Co. 35 on
Amsterdam Avenue, Manhattan, Bracken was dispatched to the World
Trade Center. He and his unit of 10 others, reportedly never made
it out of the towers.
If
she had to hazard a guess, Katz said, she'd say Bracken is prowling
the heavenly greens right now. An avid sports fan, he was big
into golf, she said. Bracken, 37, was known among family and friends
for his seemingly miraculous shots on the greens - shots of his
had been known to bounce off trees and into the cup. So much so,
they coined the phrase, "Bracken Bounce," after his
mysterious plays.
Katz
said Bracken's relativesand friends hoped and prayed the "Bracken
Bounce" would somehow work for him in the days immediately
following the attack.
But
his body has not been recovered. A memorial service for him is
scheduled for 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at St. Patrick's Cathedral in
Manhattan.
Bracken's
eight-year career as a firefighter included a stint with Engine
Co. 23 in New York City. His father had been a volunteer firefighter
in Central Islip, where Bracken was born and raised. Katz said
Bracken worked in construction and sales before joining the ranks
of New York's bravest. He and his wife, who had been married five
years, were planning to start a family, Katz said.
Youthful
in his ways, Bracken strived at several sports. Katz said he played
hockey for his fire company, which regularly competed against
other fire companies and police departments. Softball, too, was
a love of his, Katz said. As coach of a co-ed team on which his
wife played, he was fondly known as "Coach Pugs," a
reference to his cherubic physique. He took it all in stride,
Katz said. "He was up for anything, anytime. He was a fun-
loving, easygoing, carefree guy" who seldom got upset or
angry.
In
addition to his wife, other survivors include his parents, Hugh
and Mary Bracken of Sandwich, Mass.; and siblings, Billy Bracken
of McGraw, N.Y., Chickie Carlson of Sandwich, and Kathy Brown
and Patty Sample, both of Houston.
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