John P. McNamara was born on July 3, 1920 in Limerick, Ireland and came to the United States as an infant. The eldest of six children, he was called Jack by his family. Even as a child, Jack loved to read; however, because of the economic impacts of the Great Depression, he had to leave school at sixteen. To support his family, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps and worked on projects in New York and Oregon.
In 1940, he enlisted in the army eventually becoming a First Lieutenant. During the war, he spent time in the Philippines and Japan. He said he learned so much about himself and life from those experiences.
When he left the service in 1946, he joined the FDNY, where he worked in ladder companies, retiring as a Captain in 1967.
He and his wife Rita moved to Lindenhurst in 1952. Jack enjoyed doing creative things including gardening, carpentry, and carving. He taught himself to make hand-crafted furniture that is still cherished by family and friends.
He loved spending time with his wife, daughters and grandchildren and sharing with them his interests in golf, poetry, and music. He died in 1989 after battling a brain tumor.