Church usher, former NYPD sergeant dies while shoveling snow for congregation

Family and friends of retired New York Police Department Sergeant Roger McGovern are in mourning after he died Sunday while shoveling snow at the Our Lady of Victory church in Floral Park, New York, where he served as an usher. He was 60.

Our Lady of Victory Church could not immediately provide details on McGovern’s passing when contacted by The Christian Post on Monday, but a News 12 report citing the NYPD said he died while shoveling snow at the church.

In a public statement on Facebook, however, McGovern’s cousin, Brendan McGovern, said he suffered a heart attack on his way to shovel snow.

“This morning, he was on his way out to shovel and clear paths so others could safely get to church, a quiet act of service that speaks volumes about the kind of person he was, when he suffered a heart attack,” Brendan McGovern wrote.

Both the NYPD and Brendan McGovern were unable to immediately clarify the discrepancy in the circumstances surrounding the former NYPD sergeant’s passing when contacted by CP.

Matt Troy, McGovern’s longtime friend, told News 12 that he was beloved by those who knew him in life.

"Fiercely loyal, good friend, great friend, helpful, always happy, always had a kind word for everyone. Never had a bad word to say about anyone," Troy told the news outlet.

Brendan McGovern said that after his cousin retired from the NYPD in 2008, he “remained devoted to his faith and community, ushering each week at the noon Sunday Mass at Our Lady of Victory in Floral Park.” He further noted that his cousin “lived a life marked by humility, kindness, and steady devotion to others.”

McGovern leaves behind his wife, Finola, and daughters, Ailish, Leah and Dara.

Since the start of Winter Storm Fern on Sunday, more than a dozen deaths have been reported across the country and at least five of them were reported in New York.

Police said a separate unconscious and unresponsive man was found outside 185-46 Hilburn Ave. in Jamaica, Queens, early Saturday morning. He was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Two other men were found unconscious outside different locations in Manhattan, the NYPD also reported. One was pronounced dead on the scene, and the other was transported to New York-Presbyterian in critical condition before he was later pronounced dead. Another man and a woman were also discovered dead in separate locations in Brooklyn, police reported, according to Gothamist. They were both pronounced dead where they were found.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed during a news briefing Sunday that five people were reported dead amid freezing temperatures and snowfall on Saturday, but did not confirm the causes of their deaths. A 52-year-old man who died on a Queens street on Sunday became the sixth death possibly linked to the winter storm.

“For those without shelter, the intense cold can be fatal,” said Mamdani, who noted that none of the people who died appeared to be homeless. “I send my deepest condolences to their families and loved ones. While we do not yet know their causes of death, there is no more powerful reminder of the danger of extreme cold and how vulnerable many of our neighbors are, especially homeless New Yorkers.”