As Throggs Neck residents and all people who feel Irish that day prepare to march down East Tremont Avenue for the annual Throggs Neck St. Patricks Day Parade, the Throggs Neck Benevolent Association, the parade organizer, wants those who passed over the last 12 months to be honored as Honorary Grand Marshals.
The parade kicks off at noon from East Tremont and Lafayette avenues on Sunday, March 15. The Grand Marshals are Shelia Haney and Jack McCarrick.
The honorary grand marshals include:
Patrick James Frawley who lived in Throggs Neck his whole life and attended St. Benedict’s and St. Helena’s High School in his early days. The son of Irish immigrants from the counties of Galway and Clare, Frawley joined the Navy after his schooling. Frawley then became a member of the NYPD. Frawley was married for 53 years to Eileen. The couple had three children, two sons and one daughter. Frawley was a world traveler and ran in the Running of the Bulls in Spain in his later years.
Eileen Murphy was a big fan of the Throggs Neck parade. She was born in 1937 and was a graduate of St. Vincent Ferrer High School. After she married her husband James, she spent her life volunteering as a Girl Scout Leader and as an administrative volunteer at Holy Family grammar school on Castle Hill Avenue.
Howard ‘Mickey’ Lent, was a man’s man. He joined the FDNY in 1957 and fought the burning of the Bronx as Captain of Engine 43, Ladder 59. Lent married in 1955 and raised five daughters, all attending St. Benedict’s. Lent is remembered as a family man with a knack for cooking and fishing.
Margie Walsh was raised in Kingsbridge. She attended St. John’s Elementary School and St. Barnabas High School. Walsh married her husband in 1964 and had their only child, Kevin. Walsh was known for her strong faith and being a frequent patron of the Wicked Wolf after attending Mass.
Cuban ‘Irish’ Al, Alfredo N. Vazquez was born in Havana, but fled Cuba with his wife and three children to New York. Finally, the family settled in Throggs Neck where he earned the monikers ‘Mayor of Throggs Neck’ or the ‘Go-To Guy’ after opening a bookkeeping business. Irish Al performed in an Irish marching band.
Stephanie Brumley was born in 1964 and attended P.S. 72 and Lehman High School. She had two children, Edward and Stephanie. She was a staple in the Throggs Neck community, taking care of the neighborhood’s elderly and took great pride in her Irish heritage.
Edward Huber put smiles on people’s faces. He was a rabid Mets and NY Giants fan his whole life. Born in 1944, he attended St. Jerome’s Parish and later Cardinal Hayes High School and was a devout Catholic.
Mary Theresa Hickey was born in County Kerry, Ireland in 1929 and was raised on a small farm. She left for New York when she was 20 and worked as live-in nanny and met her husband at a dance hall. They were wed at St. Jerome Church and had three children. The family finally settled in Throggs Neck in 1966. Hickey loved baking soda bread and spending time in her beautiful garden.
Barbara Ellen Scott was born to Irish parents from County Cork and Belfast in 1941. She became Scott-Mongiello when she married Anthony Mongiello in 1966. The couple had four children together and lived on Quincy Avenue where she was a travel agent.
Gerald Edward Archambault lived in Throggs Neck his entire life. He grew up in Alden Park and attended St. Frances de Chantal and Cardinal Spellman High School where he became a standout football player. After college, he joined the NYPD and eventually the FDNY.
Known for his humor and mischievous antics, Throggs Neck resident Denis Byrne ‘DJ’ Jr. was born in 2001 and was the youngest of three. Byrne graduated from Salesian High School in 2019. He was an active Boy Scout up till his high school years.
James ‘Fav’ Murray moved to Throggs Neck in 1973 after marrying his wife, Mary, whose father told him he would give the young couple permission to marry on the condition, he got a ‘man’s job’ and offered him a bus driver position. Murray was a member of many local religious and civic organizations.
John F. O’Grady was raised in the Bronx and attended St. Helena’s Grammar School and high school. After school, O’Grady enlisted in the Navy and remained in the reserves after retiring from active duty. He retired from the NYPD after 20 years. O’Grady met his wife, Noreen, while on patrol in his early NYPD days. He worked the bar in his later days and prided himself on his bartending skills.
Kevin Flynn grew up in the St. Frances de Chantal parish alongside two older siblings. Flynn was a lover of music and food. He also enjoyed swimming and bowling on Friday nights with his Throggs Neck friends. He was named after the Irish Saint Kevin of Glendalough.
James Patrick Waldron, a Bronx native, was happily married to wife Noreen and raised three sons. Waldron attended St. Luke’s Grammar School as well as Cardinal Hayes High School. He was a retired NYPD officer assigned to the 41st Precinct.
Tom Delaney lived in City Island for the past 49 years. He was an active board member of Pilot Cove Manor Senior Housing and Providence Rest Nursing Home. Delaney was once a Lieutenant in the USMC. After his military career, he became president of Cochrane Hospital Supplies for 20 years.
Hugh Finnegan was born in 1945 to Madeline and James Finnegan. His father immigrated from Cavan, Ireland and was one of five children. Finnegan grew up in the Bronx and attended Dewitt Clinton High School. He served in the Navy and later became a police officer. He retired after 20 years with the 46th precinct. He loved his family and is being remembered at this year’s parade by his four daughters and their families.
Eileen Devoy grew up in Dublin, Ireland where she married her childhood sweetheart, Chris. The two immigrated to the states where her husband joined the Marines, but after years of traveling, the family settled in Throggs Neck in 1968. The couple had five children.
Eileen’s son, Daniel Devoy, is also being honored after losing his fight with cancer in January. Older brother Chris Jr. remembered his brother’s love for golf and being a diehard Yankees and Giants fan.
Also being honored are Joan Ninivaggi, Agnes LaMacchia, and Helen Junta along with several individuals already profiled in an earlier Bronx Times Reporter.
