Please click Zoom to watch the funeral mass at 11 A.M. on Friday, October 20, 2023.  Please mute yourselves upon entering.

Meeting  ID:  882 3420 6521

Passcode:     362852

John T. McGrath, Jr. passed away on October 11, 2023, at the age of 70. He was the retired Deputy Commissioner of the Philadelphia Fire Department and retired Chief of the Raleigh Fire Department in North Carolina. John was a quintessential family man who passed peacefully surrounded by his loving wife and children.

Born and raised in Philadelphia as the eldest son of 12 children to the late Annamarie and John McGrath Sr., John graduated from Archbishop Ryan High School and La Salle University. He entered the Philadelphia Fire Department at just 20 years old in November 1973, where he faithfully served the city he cherished for 32 years. John retired as the Deputy Commissioner in 2006 and then moved to Raleigh, NC, where he was appointed Chief of the Fire Department for the City of Raleigh from 2006-2019. Throughout his career, he was involved in several philanthropic organizations, especially the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF), where he actively volunteered and served as the Incident Commander for its Annual Memorial Weekend for multiple years. John also taught at the National Fire Academy and was a graduate of its Executive Fire Officer Program.

The only thing John loved more than being a firefighter and the city that raised him was his family. Married for just days shy of 50 years to the love of his life, Carol, he adored their four children, five grandchildren, 33 nieces and nephews, numerous godchildren, great nieces and nephews, cousins, children of friends, and more. John had a captivating personality that made everyone he met, even briefly, feel like an old friend. Known for his sincere kindness and generosity, John was the king of hospitality and would offer a drink, meal, bed, or his home to anyone in need.

John was the beloved husband of Carol Ann (née Stewart), the loving father of John III, Joseph (Carol), James (Abigail), and Alison York (Matthew), and the adored grandfather of Luke, Penelope, Cecilia, Julian, and Trevor. He was the brother of Jacqueline, Kathleen McGoldrick (Frank), Dennis (Ruth), Matthew (Debra), Francis (Maria), Annamarie Del Casale (Nicholas), Brian (Susan), Mary, Sean (Sandra), Patrice Borgmann (Hans), and the late Colleen Kraus (Richard). John is also survived by his sister-in-law, Arlene Pfizenmayer (Walt), and their children, Karl Pfizenmayer (Claudine) and Karen Pavlovcak (Jonathan).

Relatives and friends are invited to pay respects Thursday, Oct. 19th, 4-8pm and Friday, Oct. 20th, 9-10:45am at St. Katherine of Siena Church, 9700 Frankford Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19114. Funeral Mass will begin Friday, October 20th at 11am with interment at Resurrection Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory to the American Red Cross , 2221 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103, are appreciated.