Phillip E. Brady had interests other than firefighting, he just had little time to pursue them. “He did not have much of a social life in all reality,” said his uncle, John Williams. “He was always on call.” Mr. Brady, 40, of Riverdale died Tuesday, Aug. 10, of cancer in St. James Hospital in Olympia Fields. Mr. Brady worked full time as a firefighter and paramedic with the University Park Fire Department and was on call for emergencies with the Riverdale Volunteer Fire Department. “He just ate, drank and slept firefighting,” his uncle said. “Whenever there was a call, there was Phil.” An avid NASCAR fan, Mr. Brady had an extensive car photo collection, and he loved to work on cars. Before becoming a firefighter, he was a master certified mechanic at Ford, colleagues said. “If we’d go to a call and things didn’t look very good, he’d have a way of making the people feel at ease,” said Michael Behrens, a University Park firefighter-paramedic and a former partner. Mr. Brady also was a jokester who would drop marshmallows around a golf course so other golfers would mistake them for golf balls or hop aboard a Public Works tractor and take it for a spin. “I don’t think I ever saw him in a bad mood around the station,” University Park Fire Chief David Litton said. “He kept everybody smiling. It was contagious.” Other survivors include his mother, Ethel; and another uncle, Roger Williams. Visitation will be from 3 to 9 p.m. Friday at Brown Funeral Home, 13820 Lincoln Ave., Dolton. Services will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday in the funeral home.
