ANOTHER 9-11 MEMBER PASSES.
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FDNY ACTIVE DUTY FF --------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUOTE.
65-2 #58 July 23, 2011
FF Alexander Lopez (L-41) Funeral Arrangements
Visitation will be Saturday, July 23rd, from 2 to 4pm and 7 to 9pm, and Sunday, July 24th from 2 to 4 pm and 7 to 9pm, at Ruggiero & Sons Funeral Home 726 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10462. (718) 828-1800.
Funeral Service will be at 10:30am on Monday, July 25th, at Our Lady of Solace Church, 731 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10462 (across the street from the funeral home).
Members of the Department who are off-duty are requested to attend the funeral in regulation uniform as a mark of respect to the deceased.
UNQUOTE
Posts on another site sound like he was well liked.....appt.'95.....spent much time at the WTC......REST IN PEACE BROTHER.
QUOTE.
65-2 #58 July 23, 2011
FF Alexander Lopez (L-41) Funeral Arrangements
Visitation will be Saturday, July 23rd, from 2 to 4pm and 7 to 9pm, and Sunday, July 24th from 2 to 4 pm and 7 to 9pm, at Ruggiero & Sons Funeral Home 726 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10462. (718) 828-1800.
Funeral Service will be at 10:30am on Monday, July 25th, at Our Lady of Solace Church, 731 Morris Park Ave, Bronx, NY 10462 (across the street from the funeral home).
Members of the Department who are off-duty are requested to attend the funeral in regulation uniform as a mark of respect to the deceased.
UNQUOTE
Posts on another site sound like he was well liked.....appt.'95.....spent much time at the WTC......REST IN PEACE BROTHER.
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Rest in Peace
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http://staugustine.com/news/local-news/2....e-resident-dies
Retired FDNY firefighter and St. Augustine resident dies
Posted: December 21, 2011 - 12:00am
By SHELDON GARDNER
sheldon.gardner@staugustine.com
One of the first female firefighters to work for the Fire Department of New York died Monday after a yearlong battle with cancer.
Virginia Culkin-Spinelli, of St. Augustine and formerly of Point Lookout, N.Y., was 57.
?I think folks of St. Augustine would be proud to know she was a neighbor of theirs,? said family friend Mike Noonan. ?She was a tough woman, but a caring, beautiful woman.?
Culkin-Spinelli, whom friends and family called ?Ginny Ann,? was hired in the first class of female firefighters at the FDNY in September of 1982 and worked for Engine Company 226 in Brooklyn until she was transferred to Engine Company 329 in Queens in 1992. She retired in October 2002 after 20 years with the department.
There were a lot of challenges that went along with being one of the first female firefighters in the department, said her daughter Shannon Culkin-Llewellyn. But Culkin-Spinelli did her job and earned respect from her coworkers.
?She never really got into the politics of all the craziness, of all the female stuff,? Culkin-Llewellyn said. ?She never made a big deal about it. She wanted to work, she wanted to fight fires.?
Culkin-Spinelli was a loving woman and a ?tough cookie,? her daughter said. She was also an animal lover.
She loved to ride horses and even ran a turtle rescue, Noonan said.
One day, Culkin-Spinelli helped rescue a dog from a fire, Culkin-Llewellyn said. She gave CPR to the dog and saved its life.
Then there was the time when Culkin-Spinelli was driving home from her shift and saw a plane crash in Rockaway, N.Y. She didn?t have her boots with her but still rushed to the scene to help fight the fire. Her feet were burnt for months from the gasoline, Culkin-Llewellyn said.
?She was just amazing,? Culkin-Llewellyn said. ?As little as she was, nobody messed around with my mom.?
During 9/ll, Culkin-Spinelli?s company went to Chinatown to cover a firehouse that was sent down to the World Trade Center. She remembered watching firefighters coming back to the department with ?thousand-mile stares,? Noonan said.
Culkin-Spinelli worked at ground zero for more than a month. She even worked on her wedding anniversary, Oct. 3.
?She worked there every day in hopes of finding remains and mementos and rings and knickknacks that were on desktops,? Noonan said.
Eventually, Culkin-Spinelli retired from the department and bought a house with her husband in St. Augustine in 2002. She had been visiting St. Augustine for most of her life, and she and her husband decided to move downtown.
Doctors told her that working at ground zero was probably a factor in causing her cancer, Culkin-Llewellyn said.
Culkin-Spinelli is survived by her husband, Vincent ?Vinny? Spinelli, daughter and son-in-law Shannon Culkin-Llewellyn and Sean Llewellyn, brother and sister-in-law William and Helen Magale, and grandson Liam Llewellyn.
?Ginny Ann is a person you?d have to experience,? Noonan said. ?A great big smile, a laugh that you?ll never forget.?
Retired FDNY firefighter and St. Augustine resident dies
Posted: December 21, 2011 - 12:00am
By SHELDON GARDNER
sheldon.gardner@staugustine.com
One of the first female firefighters to work for the Fire Department of New York died Monday after a yearlong battle with cancer.
Virginia Culkin-Spinelli, of St. Augustine and formerly of Point Lookout, N.Y., was 57.
?I think folks of St. Augustine would be proud to know she was a neighbor of theirs,? said family friend Mike Noonan. ?She was a tough woman, but a caring, beautiful woman.?
Culkin-Spinelli, whom friends and family called ?Ginny Ann,? was hired in the first class of female firefighters at the FDNY in September of 1982 and worked for Engine Company 226 in Brooklyn until she was transferred to Engine Company 329 in Queens in 1992. She retired in October 2002 after 20 years with the department.
There were a lot of challenges that went along with being one of the first female firefighters in the department, said her daughter Shannon Culkin-Llewellyn. But Culkin-Spinelli did her job and earned respect from her coworkers.
?She never really got into the politics of all the craziness, of all the female stuff,? Culkin-Llewellyn said. ?She never made a big deal about it. She wanted to work, she wanted to fight fires.?
Culkin-Spinelli was a loving woman and a ?tough cookie,? her daughter said. She was also an animal lover.
She loved to ride horses and even ran a turtle rescue, Noonan said.
One day, Culkin-Spinelli helped rescue a dog from a fire, Culkin-Llewellyn said. She gave CPR to the dog and saved its life.
Then there was the time when Culkin-Spinelli was driving home from her shift and saw a plane crash in Rockaway, N.Y. She didn?t have her boots with her but still rushed to the scene to help fight the fire. Her feet were burnt for months from the gasoline, Culkin-Llewellyn said.
?She was just amazing,? Culkin-Llewellyn said. ?As little as she was, nobody messed around with my mom.?
During 9/ll, Culkin-Spinelli?s company went to Chinatown to cover a firehouse that was sent down to the World Trade Center. She remembered watching firefighters coming back to the department with ?thousand-mile stares,? Noonan said.
Culkin-Spinelli worked at ground zero for more than a month. She even worked on her wedding anniversary, Oct. 3.
?She worked there every day in hopes of finding remains and mementos and rings and knickknacks that were on desktops,? Noonan said.
Eventually, Culkin-Spinelli retired from the department and bought a house with her husband in St. Augustine in 2002. She had been visiting St. Augustine for most of her life, and she and her husband decided to move downtown.
Doctors told her that working at ground zero was probably a factor in causing her cancer, Culkin-Llewellyn said.
Culkin-Spinelli is survived by her husband, Vincent ?Vinny? Spinelli, daughter and son-in-law Shannon Culkin-Llewellyn and Sean Llewellyn, brother and sister-in-law William and Helen Magale, and grandson Liam Llewellyn.
?Ginny Ann is a person you?d have to experience,? Noonan said. ?A great big smile, a laugh that you?ll never forget.?
Another sad day for the FDNY and the citizens of New York. We have lost another Hero, Virginia Culkin-Spinelli, a retired member of the FDNY. She risked her life over those many years for the people she protected. She was injuried at a serious major plane crash, and worked that 9/11 pile that has affected so many others. It is believed by her doctors that her duty there caused this cancer to eventually take her life at an age of only 57.
My condolunces to her husband and daughter, along with the rest of her family and friends. And also the the members of the FDNY, espically those that knew and worked with Ginny Ann. I'm very sorry for your loss.
My condolunces to her husband and daughter, along with the rest of her family and friends. And also the the members of the FDNY, espically those that knew and worked with Ginny Ann. I'm very sorry for your loss.
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I am deeply sadden as look through the postings on this thread. I've know about health problems that many of the rescuers and responders are having as a result being exposed to inhalation hazards at the WTC, but reading your posts really sets it home. To learn that you FDNY, NYPD, others and your families continue to suffer losses from the heinous actions of a few cowards. I will keep you in my prays and thoughts.
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http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dl....9993/-1/SITEMAP
JAMES E. SMITH
Published: 2:00 AM - 01/24/12
November 27, 1955 - January 20, 2012
Matamoras, PA
Formerly of Staten Island, NY
Mr. James E. Smith of Matamoras, PA, died Friday, January 20, 2012 at Bon Secours Community Hospital. He was 56.
He was born November 27, 1955 in Staten Island, NY, the son of the late James T. Smith and Audrey Jacoby Smith. He proudly served our country in the United States Air Force. He retired from the New York City Fire Department shortly after 9/11.
A family statement read: "He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and brother. He was a big family man and a true friend. He was very talented in being that he could fix anything that was put in front of him. He and his brother Thomas were proud to be Firemen. He worked in Rescue 1 in Manhattan and was involved in both of the WTC bombings. His passion for being a Fireman was passed on to his godson, Patrick who became a New York City Fireman as well, where he honorably carries on with Jess's shield number. Jess was a true hero. He has been in the newspapers for his heroic measures and has received numerous accommodations for his bravery and commitment to his profession." His son James said, "He was the bravest person I have ever known and heaven is a safer place now that he is there."
Surviving are: his loving wife of 25 years, Kathryn Smith at home; four sons: James M. Smith and his wife, Lisa of Staten Island, NY, Jesse Smith of Matamoras, PA, Daniel Smith and his companion, Jema of West Nyack, NY, and Steven Smith of Matamoras, PA; one daughter: Kaitlyn Smith of Matamoras, PA; his mother: Audrey Smith of Seminole, FL; two brothers: Thomas Smith and his wife, Joan of Staten Island, NY, and Michael Smith and his wife, Suzanne of Cortland Manor, NY; one sister: Janice McAlarney and her husband, Patrick of Staten Island, NY; one grandson: Daniel Edward Smith; his favorite sister-in-law: Beth Shalayda of Staten Island; nephews: Thomas, his Godson Patrick, Dennis, Ryan, Jimbo, Kyle, Michael John, JP, Shawn and Brett; nieces: Kara, Kristin, Kelly, Taryn and Paige; his godfather: Richard Jacoby; his favorite aunt: Doris Jacoby; his best friend: Mark Celinko; and his loving dog, Fred.
Friends may call at the Gray-Parker Funeral Home, Inc., 100 East Main Street, Port Jervis, NY on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 1 p.m. at the funeral home.
Cremation will be at H.G. Smith Crematory, Stroudsburg, PA.
Memorial contributions may be made to benefit his children, 1225 Delaware Dr., Matamoras, PA 18336.
Funeral arrangements are by the Gray-Parker Funeral Home, Inc. For additional information, directions or to send a condolence note to the family please visit www.grayparkerfuneralhome.com.
REST IN PEACE BROTHER PRAYERS FOR THE COMFORT OF THE FAMILIES.....56 YO GONE WAY TOO YOUNG.
JAMES E. SMITH
Published: 2:00 AM - 01/24/12
November 27, 1955 - January 20, 2012
Matamoras, PA
Formerly of Staten Island, NY
Mr. James E. Smith of Matamoras, PA, died Friday, January 20, 2012 at Bon Secours Community Hospital. He was 56.
He was born November 27, 1955 in Staten Island, NY, the son of the late James T. Smith and Audrey Jacoby Smith. He proudly served our country in the United States Air Force. He retired from the New York City Fire Department shortly after 9/11.
A family statement read: "He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and brother. He was a big family man and a true friend. He was very talented in being that he could fix anything that was put in front of him. He and his brother Thomas were proud to be Firemen. He worked in Rescue 1 in Manhattan and was involved in both of the WTC bombings. His passion for being a Fireman was passed on to his godson, Patrick who became a New York City Fireman as well, where he honorably carries on with Jess's shield number. Jess was a true hero. He has been in the newspapers for his heroic measures and has received numerous accommodations for his bravery and commitment to his profession." His son James said, "He was the bravest person I have ever known and heaven is a safer place now that he is there."
Surviving are: his loving wife of 25 years, Kathryn Smith at home; four sons: James M. Smith and his wife, Lisa of Staten Island, NY, Jesse Smith of Matamoras, PA, Daniel Smith and his companion, Jema of West Nyack, NY, and Steven Smith of Matamoras, PA; one daughter: Kaitlyn Smith of Matamoras, PA; his mother: Audrey Smith of Seminole, FL; two brothers: Thomas Smith and his wife, Joan of Staten Island, NY, and Michael Smith and his wife, Suzanne of Cortland Manor, NY; one sister: Janice McAlarney and her husband, Patrick of Staten Island, NY; one grandson: Daniel Edward Smith; his favorite sister-in-law: Beth Shalayda of Staten Island; nephews: Thomas, his Godson Patrick, Dennis, Ryan, Jimbo, Kyle, Michael John, JP, Shawn and Brett; nieces: Kara, Kristin, Kelly, Taryn and Paige; his godfather: Richard Jacoby; his favorite aunt: Doris Jacoby; his best friend: Mark Celinko; and his loving dog, Fred.
Friends may call at the Gray-Parker Funeral Home, Inc., 100 East Main Street, Port Jervis, NY on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Funeral services will be held on Wednesday, January 25, 2012 at 1 p.m. at the funeral home.
Cremation will be at H.G. Smith Crematory, Stroudsburg, PA.
Memorial contributions may be made to benefit his children, 1225 Delaware Dr., Matamoras, PA 18336.
Funeral arrangements are by the Gray-Parker Funeral Home, Inc. For additional information, directions or to send a condolence note to the family please visit www.grayparkerfuneralhome.com.
REST IN PEACE BROTHER PRAYERS FOR THE COMFORT OF THE FAMILIES.....56 YO GONE WAY TOO YOUNG.
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Ret. FDNY Lt Mark McKay has passed away from cancer at the age of 48...... His father is Ret. Cpt. Harry McKay...... Mark was a FF in E-38, L-27, & R-4. .. & a LT in L-45.
The wake will be Monday 4-9-12 and Tuesday 4-10-12 at Schuyler Hill Funeral Home East Tremont Ave BX and the funeral will be Wednesday 4-11-12 at First Lutheran Church 3075 Baisley Av. at the Throggs Neck Expwy. BX...............Mark you did a lot & went through a lot..... before & now RIP......Another BROTHER gone to a higher level way too soon.....NEVER FORGET !
The wake will be Monday 4-9-12 and Tuesday 4-10-12 at Schuyler Hill Funeral Home East Tremont Ave BX and the funeral will be Wednesday 4-11-12 at First Lutheran Church 3075 Baisley Av. at the Throggs Neck Expwy. BX...............Mark you did a lot & went through a lot..... before & now RIP......Another BROTHER gone to a higher level way too soon.....NEVER FORGET !
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Rest in peace brother
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I am not a firefighter but someone with an interest and a son's commitment. The US Government, the City of New York said there was no problem. Well draw your own conclusions. I worked with the Forward Air Controllers in I Corps in Vietnam during 68-69. We worked with Ranch Hand flights during this time. No one said shit about this stuff. This was some nasty stuff, many vets who put their ass on the line, engaged in contact, later died from cancer, a long and painful death. Maybe the government should be held to a higher committment, but we know that will not happen. Just cover your ass.
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Bravest Mark Mckay, Who Spent Time on The Pile After 9/11 and Died of Rare Cancer At 48, Remembered as One of a Kind
NY Daily News - April 13, 2012
by Patrice O'Shaughnessy
Firefighter was looking forward to quiet retirement
He served in busy firehouses in the Bronx and upper Manhattan, and with Rescue 4 in Queens. He spent months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks searching the wreckage of the World Trade Center for survivors, then victims, including many comrades. He would lose another close friend in the Black Sunday fire in the Bronx in 2005. So when he retired a few years ago, FDNY Lt. Mark McKay looked forward to spending the rest of his life far from flames and smoke, on Long Island Sound, where he often fished from his boat.
"He bought his dream house on City Island, for his wife Belinda and their children, Mark and Melissa,"
said FDNY Chief John Sullivan of Battalion 27 in the Bronx.
"He always loved the water."
Sullivan spoke on Tuesday as he wrote a eulogy for McKay, who died at on Apr. 4 at age 48 after losing a battle with cancer.
He had Ewing's Sarcoma, rarely found in adults. He had never smoked and was a strong, healthy guy. Sullivan believes the illness was related to McKay's time on The Pile.
Sullivan, 50, prepared his remarks for the funeral yesterday for the friend he met 40 years ago.
"I was from Throgs Neck, and he was from fancy Country Club," said Sullivan. "We met at St. Frances de Chantal Sea Cadets. We wore Navy uniforms and marched around ... maybe I shouldn't bring it up in the eulogy," he laughed.
McKay went to Aviation High School in Queens, and Sullivan to St. Raymond's. They reconnected when McKay was at Ladder 27 on the Cross-Bronx Expwy., and Sullivan was at Ladder 48 in Hunts Point.
"Mark had his own style," Sullivan said. "It could be 95 degrees and he'd be playing softball in jeans and motorcycle boots."
McKay, a big guy with a mustache and tattoos, had joined the Fire Department in 1985. He worked at firehouses in the Bronx, and for Special Operations Command at the rescue squad in Queens. He got promoted to lieutenant and worked with Sullivan at Ladder
45 in Washington Heights, where McKay earned two citations for bravery.
After 9/11 he went back to SOC to help out, because most of the rescue unit members were killed. He was at the World Trade Center site from the day the towers fell until mid-December, Sullivan said.
McKay was devastated again on Jan. 23, 2005, when his good friend Firefighter John Bellew died, along with Lt. Curtis Meyran, when they and four other firefighters were forced to jump from an illegal fourth-floor warren on E. 178th St. to escape flames and smoke.
Two and a half years ago McKay found out he had cancer in his hip; he underwent chemotherapy and it was gone. It returned in his lungs, he went through chemo again, and again the cancer was gone.
"He bought a house on City Island and last fall we were redoing the house, ripping off the roof, and it was a victory celebration, because he seemed like he beat it," said Sullivan.
"Then it came back in his hip and lungs, and he was out of treatments."
McKay, weakened from the disease, marched in the Throgs Neck St. Patrick's Day Parade last month. He made it all the way down E. Tremont Ave. to the 9/11 monument near the firehouse, where he said a prayer to his lost comrades.
"He told me, 'I prayed to the brothers to save me a place at the table,'" said Sullivan.
A week before his death, McKay went to Calvary Hospital to die.
"Mark didn't want to die in the new house," said Sullivan. "He wanted Belinda and the kids to have only happy memories in that house."
McKay will be cremated, and his ashes tossed on the waves off City Island, according to his wishes.
"He always loved the water," Sullivan said.
NY Daily News - April 13, 2012
by Patrice O'Shaughnessy
Firefighter was looking forward to quiet retirement
He served in busy firehouses in the Bronx and upper Manhattan, and with Rescue 4 in Queens. He spent months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks searching the wreckage of the World Trade Center for survivors, then victims, including many comrades. He would lose another close friend in the Black Sunday fire in the Bronx in 2005. So when he retired a few years ago, FDNY Lt. Mark McKay looked forward to spending the rest of his life far from flames and smoke, on Long Island Sound, where he often fished from his boat.
"He bought his dream house on City Island, for his wife Belinda and their children, Mark and Melissa,"
said FDNY Chief John Sullivan of Battalion 27 in the Bronx.
"He always loved the water."
Sullivan spoke on Tuesday as he wrote a eulogy for McKay, who died at on Apr. 4 at age 48 after losing a battle with cancer.
He had Ewing's Sarcoma, rarely found in adults. He had never smoked and was a strong, healthy guy. Sullivan believes the illness was related to McKay's time on The Pile.
Sullivan, 50, prepared his remarks for the funeral yesterday for the friend he met 40 years ago.
"I was from Throgs Neck, and he was from fancy Country Club," said Sullivan. "We met at St. Frances de Chantal Sea Cadets. We wore Navy uniforms and marched around ... maybe I shouldn't bring it up in the eulogy," he laughed.
McKay went to Aviation High School in Queens, and Sullivan to St. Raymond's. They reconnected when McKay was at Ladder 27 on the Cross-Bronx Expwy., and Sullivan was at Ladder 48 in Hunts Point.
"Mark had his own style," Sullivan said. "It could be 95 degrees and he'd be playing softball in jeans and motorcycle boots."
McKay, a big guy with a mustache and tattoos, had joined the Fire Department in 1985. He worked at firehouses in the Bronx, and for Special Operations Command at the rescue squad in Queens. He got promoted to lieutenant and worked with Sullivan at Ladder
45 in Washington Heights, where McKay earned two citations for bravery.
After 9/11 he went back to SOC to help out, because most of the rescue unit members were killed. He was at the World Trade Center site from the day the towers fell until mid-December, Sullivan said.
McKay was devastated again on Jan. 23, 2005, when his good friend Firefighter John Bellew died, along with Lt. Curtis Meyran, when they and four other firefighters were forced to jump from an illegal fourth-floor warren on E. 178th St. to escape flames and smoke.
Two and a half years ago McKay found out he had cancer in his hip; he underwent chemotherapy and it was gone. It returned in his lungs, he went through chemo again, and again the cancer was gone.
"He bought a house on City Island and last fall we were redoing the house, ripping off the roof, and it was a victory celebration, because he seemed like he beat it," said Sullivan.
"Then it came back in his hip and lungs, and he was out of treatments."
McKay, weakened from the disease, marched in the Throgs Neck St. Patrick's Day Parade last month. He made it all the way down E. Tremont Ave. to the 9/11 monument near the firehouse, where he said a prayer to his lost comrades.
"He told me, 'I prayed to the brothers to save me a place at the table,'" said Sullivan.
A week before his death, McKay went to Calvary Hospital to die.
"Mark didn't want to die in the new house," said Sullivan. "He wanted Belinda and the kids to have only happy memories in that house."
McKay will be cremated, and his ashes tossed on the waves off City Island, according to his wishes.
"He always loved the water," Sullivan said.