Christopher Michael Grady

Christopher Michael Grady, 39, of Cranford, New Jersey, an employee of Cantor Fitzgerald, was born on August 13, 1962, in Brooklyn, New York. He spent his summers in Breezy Point, New York.

Christopher is survived by his wife, Kelly Grady; his children, Dylan (4) and Kayla (2); his mother, Rita Grady; his siblings, Brendan, Patrick, and Deirdre; and his loyal dog, Motai.

A Memorial Service was held for Christopher on September 27, 2001, at St. Patrick's Church in Brooklyn.
Profile submitted by Patrick Grady.


Compassionate Laugher

Christopher M. Grady's laugh was a full-body production, a gut-wriggling giggle so convulsive that he almost couldn't breathe. So he'd grab his belly, and his head would fling back, nose scrunched, feet flailing. Soon, everyone else in the room was laughing, too.

He drew people in, did Mr. Grady, 39, a broker at Cantor Fitzgerald, with his laughter, his boyish high spirits — he'd hide the wallet of a colleague who left work early; would camp out in his van for a coveted tee-off time — and his humble but unshakable loyalty to loved ones. Mr. Grady, who had recently moved with his wife, Kelly, and their two young children to Cranford, N.J., thought of himself as quiet, even shy.

Mr. Grady wasn't fancy: shrimp cocktail and a rib-eye steak, Mets and Jets (though he pitched a batting practice for the Yankees), friends and family. But he had a gentle sense of grace. Once, when a distant, elderly relative suffering from Alzheimer's became agitated and started speaking in her native Spanish, Mr. Grady, who didn't understand the language, sat with her, smiling and nodding sympathetically, until she calmed down. "He was so good to other people," said Mrs. Grady. "I am so proud he chose me as his wife."