John McNamara, 1946-2007

John McNamara passed away in the early hours at UCLA on Monday, October 8, 2007, after a three year battle with malignant mesothelioma. A fighter to the last, his great legacy resonates in the hearts of those he met and inspired along the way.

A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, October 10, 2007 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Crawford Mortuary in Northridge, California. All friends of the family are welcome to attend.

Crawford Mortuary
Slumber Visitation Room
8717 Tampa Avenue
Northridge, CA 91324
(818) 349-9701
Map & Turn-by-Turn Directions

Crawford Mortuary is located at the northwest corner of Tampa Avenue and Parthenia Avenue.  Parking is available on site.

The McNamara family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute. Donations should be made payable to:
PHLBI
11818 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 200
Los Angeles, CA 90025

Or, tributes can be made online via a secure network.

Notification of all tributes will be sent to T.C. McNamara, John's wife, and acknowledged online.

A Resounding Tribute to John McNamara

John McNamara's voice fell silent, once and for all, on October 8, 2007. The voice of a champion, the voice of a husband, the voice of a father, the voice of a patient, the voice of a veteran, the voice of a hero, the voice of an advocate, the voice of a friend, the voice of a man demanding justice, the voice of a seer, the voice of a fighter, the voice of a peacemaker--each of these myriad voices and a thousand more fell silent on Sunday, more than three years after John was diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma.

The reverberations of John McNamara's voices, however, resonate with the same strength and power as on any other day, because the voice of truth speaks forever...

Like tens of thousands before him, John was struck down by mesothelioma in the prime of his life. Even with mesothelioma, at the age of 61 John's "prime of life" was a force to reckon with. Two days before he died, John and his beloved T.C. were in Washington, D.C. with their "band of meso brothers" advocating for increased medical research on this dreaded disease.

The foundation of his life was his marriage to T.C. More than thirty years of passion, love, commitment, struggle, and partnership had molded John into the iron man-mountain that he was. Despite the bad odds, the frequent hospital visits, and the roller coaster of emotions all cancer survivors ride, if you spent one minute around this dynamic duo you felt that everything was possible. After his surgery, radiation therapy, and interferon treatments, John seemed to be riding the crest of a beautiful wave, propelled by powerful forces, without end...

"John was an incredible warrior who approached mesothelioma like he approached life, with individuality, vigor and courage," reflected Dr. Robert Cameron, thoracic surgeon at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine who operated on John in November, 2005.

"He never acknowledged the suffering that he endured, even to the end," continued Dr. Cameron, who helped treat John at his hotel in Washington when John suddenly developed severe pain in his back and numbness while the two were attending a mesothelioma medical symposium. "John dedicated himself to helping others with the disease, even when his own life was in jeopardy. His passing will be a sad loss for the entire mesothelioma community." The full story.