Obituary of Brian Patrick McCaffrey

Brian Patrick McCaffrey, 55, of Delmar, NY passed away unexpectedly on March 27, 2024.

Brian was born in the Bronx, NY to Aiden and Teresa McCaffrey. He graduated from Mount Saint Michael Academy High School in the Bronx and received his Bachelors of Engineering - Civil Engineering from City College of New York.

A Professional Engineer, Brian was employed by the State of New York for 25 years; first in the Structures Division of the NYS Department of Transportation and most recently in the Bridge  Management Bureau at the NYS Thruway. In between his positions at NYS Brian was employed by Earth Tech/AECOM, which allowed him to work from home while his daughters were young, and  HAKS Engineering in Middletown, CT. A “bridge guy”, Brian served on several national committees tasked with advancing various aspects of bridge engineering, including the AASHTO Bridgeware  Task Force and National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP). He served as a professional mentor and advisor for Engineers Without Borders/Columbia University chapter on a bridge  project in rural Morocco, traveling to Morocco in 2011 to work with students and Peace Corp volunteers on community outreach and an initial survey for a pedestrian bridge crossing.

Brian had a great love for life - he enjoyed traveling, was a life-long NY Yankees fan, played the guitar, and loved going to concerts, attending hundreds of concerts and festivals since high school. His favorite  band was the Grateful Dead, and he continued to follow and see the band members even after the death of Jerry Garcia. In recent years, he would encourage his daughters to attend concerts of their favorite bands, often driving them and their friends to concerts in New York City and New Jersey, usually with a stop for pizza in the Bronx on the way home.

Brian was actively involved in his  daughter’s activities, especially music and Irish Dance, and loved spending time with his family. He coached youth soccer for 8 seasons for the Bethlehem Soccer Club. A member of St. Thomas the Apostle Church, Brian was a Catechist in the Faith Formation program for 11 years. He also served on the Playground Reconstruction Committee for the Elm Avenue Town Park.

In addition to his father Aiden McCaffrey, Brian is survived by his loving wife of 25 years Mary Ellen McCaffrey and his beloved daughters Norah and Ellen. Also survived by his brother Kevin (Dianna) McCaffrey of Monroe, CT; In-laws Tom and Glenda Gardner of Sunset Beach, NC; Brother in-law Tommy(Sarah) Gardner of Wilmington, NC; nieces Catherine McCaffrey, Meagan McCaffrey, Abigail Gardner and nephews Michael McCaffrey and Benjamin Gardner. Brian is also survived by his Aunt and Uncle Dick and Kathleen Lyons of Yonkers, NY; Aunt Rose Lyons of Yonkers NY; and  cousins Catherine( Johnny) Maguire, Patrick (Danielle) Lyons, and Kevin (Kathi) Lyons. He is preceded in death by his mother Mary Teresa McCaffrey, his Uncle Patrick “Paddy” Lyons, and his  cousin Tommy Lyons.

Relatives and friends are invited to call on Thursday, April 4, 2024 from 4 to 7pm at Applebee Funeral Home, 403 Kenwood Ave. Delmar, NY. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, April 5, 2024  at 10am at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Delmar, NY. Interment will be private at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in Brian’s memory may be sent to the Upstate NY chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) (jdrf.org/upstateny) or the Bethlehem Music Association (bcsdmusic.org).