Edward Garrity Jr.; held basketball mark at St. Joe's

Edward T. Garrity Jr., 83, of Narberth, a retired insurance agent and college basketball star whose skill on the court earned him the nickname "Fast Eddie," died Sunday, June 21, of congestive heart failure at his home.

Commitment to athletics defined Mr. Garrity's life, his family said. The West Catholic High School graduate played on the men's basketball team at St. Joseph's University on scholarship in the 1950s, scoring more points than any team player had before in a single home game.

His relatives know by heart the details of Mr. Garrity's record - 40 points on Feb. 4, 1953, against Rhode Island. He kept the game ball until he died.

After he retired from the basketball court to serve in the Army, sell insurance for Allstate, and father 11 children, Mr. Garrity still breathed a competitive spirit. He played golf and tennis with friends regularly and followed the Phillies, his wife Kathleen said.

"When my dad played, he won," added daughter Kathleen McNulty. "Winning was something he knew how to do."

A lifelong Hawks fan, Mr. Garrity stayed connected with his alma mater. He was inducted into the St. Joseph Men's Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. And when his daughter MarySue went on to play basketball for the school, he watched her play from its field house stands.

"My dad not only got to play there, but he got to see his daughter play there," McNulty said. "For him to go back to the field house and watch her play on the same court was a very special four years."

In February, Mr. Garrity and his family gathered in the field house for a commemoration of his scoring record, which still stands. As St. Joseph's again played Rhode Island at home, the school honored him by decorating the ball he had saved from his victory years before.

In addition to his wife and daughters, Mr. Garrity is survived by daughters Annie and Jennifer; sons Edward, Joseph, William, Michael, Frank, Christopher, and Patrick; 14 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, June 26, at St. Margaret Church, 208 N. Narberth Ave., Narberth. Visitation will be Thursday, June 25, from 6 to 9 p.m. at McConaghy Funeral Home, 328 W. Lancaster Ave., Ardmore and Friday from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church.

Donations may be made to St. Joseph's University Men's Basketball, 5600 City Ave., Philadelphia 19131.