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George DiPasquale: Practiced What He Preached

 

Melissa DiPasquale has told enough stories about her firefighter husband, cried enough tears before strangers. Now, she wants peace and privacy. Another article about George DiPasquale? His wife begs a reporter to use what has already been said about him in his local newspaper, The Staten Island Advance:

His nickname at Ladder Company 2 in Manhattan was Holy Man, more respectful than many in the rough-and-tumble world of a firehouse. The 33-year-old firefighter, one of 10 from the company who raced to duty at 9:09 a.m. on Sept. 11 and never returned, was known for his faith.

Mr. DiPasquale, an imposing 6-foot-5, was an elder at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in the Mariners Harbor neighborhood, and shared his thoughts on religion and hope with his colleagues. He was a man who "practiced what he preached," said his father-in-law, Michael Mattei. "What he said, he meant. 

Mr. DiPasquale and his wife celebrated their ninth wedding anniversary in Cape May, N.J., just days before the attack. "A perfect weekend," Mrs. DiPasquale said. The couple have a daughter, Georgia Rose, who is 22 months old.

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From "Profiles in Grief" of The New York Times