Jack Meara was born in 1959 in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, the son of Jack and Barbara Meara, and the third of six children.  His Irish roots extend to Counties Offaly, Tipperary, Mayo and Galway.  Jack attended St Margaret’s Grammar School, Cardinal Spellman High School and 2-years at Lehman College before joining the workforce at the NY Telephone Company in 1980.

In 1982, at the age of 22, Jack joined the FDNY and was assigned to Engine 67 in Washington Heights, where he was introduced to the Emerald and Holy Name Societies.  Jack was promoted to Lieutenant in 1995 and assigned to Division 6 in the Bronx.  In 1996, he was assigned to Engine 46.  After 41-1/2 years of service, Jack worked his last tour on June 25, 2023.  He was proud to have been selected as Man of the Year by the FDNY Holy Name Society in 2008, and honored by the FDNY Emerald Society as their 2017 Irishman of the Year.

Jack’s father served the FDNY for 24-years and was a co-founder of the NY Firefighters Burn Center Foundation in 1975.  His grandfather, BC Elmer Ryan, was a founding member of the Fire Officers Union (UFOA) in 1944, and his brother Tom, recently retired as the 9th Battalion Commander in midtown.

In 1987, Jack married the beautiful Geri Prendergast at St. John’s Church in Yonkers, NY. Geri’s parents, Patricia and Colm, immigrated from County Mayo in the mid 1950’s and they greatly influenced his appreciation of Irish history and culture.

Jack and Geri are active members of Annunciation Parish, Crestwood, NY, where they raised their three boys.  John is a project manager with Core Four Construction in Manhattan, Ryan is a pro soccer player with the NY Red Bulls, and Paul is a Yonkers firefighter.  Jack and Geri are also the proud grandparents of two boys, Jack and Sean.