'He was just a gem of a guy': Friends mourn loss of Shaun Brady at KC Irish Fest

Kansas City Irish Festival-goers said Shaun Brady's absence is felt.

Brady was killed Wednesday after he was shot behind his restaurant, Brady & Fox. He was a well-known Irish chef and member of the KC Irish community.

Instead of the traditional Irish breakfast Sunday morning at Irish Fest, which Brady usually helped prepare, friends and family celebrated Mass and held a toast in the chef's honor.

There was no lack of kind words to say about Brady.

"He contributed not only his talent of a magnificent chef but ... just his kindness and his generosity," said Ed Scanlon, a friend of Brady's and one of the founders of Irish Fest.

Multiple people told KSHB Brady was more than a friend, he was family.

"Speaking personally, his restaurant was home away from home," said Liz O'Boyle, who hails from Ireland. "He would cook the Irish rashes and sausages and made the best bread pudding and scones and brown bread. And if you ever felt homesick, you knew that’s exactly where you wanted to go and where you wanted to be."

Greater than their home-country connection, O'Boyle said Brady was "near and dear, he was just a gem of a guy."

Others spoke of his humor and kind spirit, insisting that's what the focus of the weekend should be because that's what Brady would've wanted.

"Being a chef, we could banter all day about food, but anytime I talked to him, he always had a story to tell about his kids, about how proud he was of them," shared friend Michael "Spike" Scanlon.

Brady's friend Craig Duke said it's difficult to put into words how he feels, but he deeply misses his friend.

"I don’t have a bad word to say about Shaun Brady at all," Duke said. "He was a friend to everybody."

Friends and members of the Irish community put together a GoFundMe to help Brady's wife and children. You can contribute here .

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KSHB 41 reporter Caroline Hogan covers development across the Kansas City area. Share your story idea with Caroline .