Fisher Funeral Home

The longtime Pearl River, New York, resident was 43. He died at at Villa Marie Claire in Saddle River, New Jersey. McGovern served 19 years with the NYPD and was assigned to the 49th Precinct and Bronx Zoo detail.  He responded on Sept. 11, 2001, to the World Trade Center and worked on rescue and recovery efforts in Lower Manhattan for the next three months, fellow NYPD officers said.  "I couldn't say enough great words about him," said Clarkstown Police Officer Raymond Lachet. The two were at SUNY Oswego together and went through the NYPD police academy together in 1989. "He was always willing to help somebody, anytime you needed." A Yankee fan, McGovern was known for organizing outings to the stadium. McGovern's childhood next-door neighbor Louis Eichner, a retired NYPD police officer, named McGovern godfather of one of his children. "He was my best friend and he was a great guy," Eichner, 43, said Friday. "It's been a long two years." Eichner, who lives in Pearl River, said his thoughts are with McGovern's mother, Elizabeth, "probably the strongest woman I have come across. She was with him through everything." McGovern attended St. Margaret School and was a 1994 graduate of Pearl River High School. He held an associate's degree from SUNY Rockland Community College.  McGovern was born Feb. 24, 1976 in Bronx. ...