David Kilroy, left, and Kim Garbarino, right, will swim this Saturday in Boston in memory of Kilroy’s father. Item Photo by Owen O’Rourke
By Bridget Turcotte
LYNN — Two friends are competing in the Boston Light Swim in memory of a man who served as a mentor to both.
When John “Jack” Kilroy, a longtime Lynn resident, died two weeks ago, his son David Kilroy and friend Kim Garbarino chose to make this year’s race something special.
Their friendship stemmed from a common interest in the sport after they met at the YMCA in Marblehead.
Garbarino, now 58, was 49 years old when he became serious about swimming, though he spent much of his childhood in a pool. A knee injury left Kilroy, a former triathlete, focused on aquatic sports. The Marblehead resident heard stories about Garbarino, who he had trained beside many times, and introduced himself.
“Kim and I have become good friends over the past few years,” Kilroy said. “We’ve spent a lot of time training. He kind of motivates me to keep going. He’s been a good influence on me, especially now that my Dad has passed.”
They started planning their workouts together and became “training buddies.” For the past three years they have been taking on competitive swimming events together. In 2014, they competed in the Boston Light Swim side by side.
It wasn’t until last year that the pair realized their friendship had gone full circle.
Growing up in Lynn, John Kilroy was a mentor to Garbarino at the gym. Described by his son as an active and athletic person, he enjoyed playing basketball, tennis and sailing. He was a school teacher and had a knack for taking teenagers under his wing. Garbarino said all the guys at the YMCA looked up to him.
“He was a good role model for the kids as one of the older guys,” Garbarino said. “It wasn’t until this past year that I realized he was Dave’s father.”
As a child, Kilroy said he would watch his dad play basketball and lift weights at the gym.
“Kim, being maybe 10 years older than me got to know him a little bit,” Kilroy said.”My dad really liked Kim and apparently Kim liked him. It’s nice to know they had that connection.”
When his health took a turn for the worse, Kilroy said he thought about backing out of the race, which 25 athletes are chosen to compete in each year. Garbarino suggested that instead, they complete the 8-mile trek from the Boston Light lighthouse to the L Street Bath House in South Boston in John Kilroy’s honor.
David Kilroy and Garbarino will complete the race Saturday before attending services for John Kilroy on Sunday and Monday.
“The one thing that was big about him was that he was always there for me,” David Kilroy said. ”Whatever sport I did, he was always 100 percent supportive, no matter how terrible I did. He would be very excited to see me finish the Light Swim this year. We trained all summer so my Dad would have liked that.”
Bridget Turcotte can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @BridgetTurcotte.