Overview
- McGovern, 60, collapsed on Jan. 25 at Our Lady of Victory in Floral Park as he prepared to clear snow before a noon Mass, a church board member said, noting he grabbed a shovel and did not make it outside.
- He was transported to a hospital and pronounced dead around 1 p.m., according to accounts shared with Newsday.
- A News 12 report citing the NYPD said he died while shoveling at the church, while cousin Brendan McGovern posted that he suffered a heart attack on his way out to shovel.
- The church could not provide immediate details, and both the NYPD and family contacts told The Christian Post they could not resolve the discrepancy.
- The death occurred during Winter Storm Fern, as New York City officials reported five fatalities during the freeze with causes not yet confirmed, and friends remembered McGovern as a devoted usher and family man survived by his wife Finola and daughters Ailish, Leah, and Dara.