Firefighter Thomas Butler
Squad 1
Memorial
Service
held on August 17th, 2002
Thomas
Butler liked to say that in a former life, he must have been
a pirate. You could not keep him off
the water. His life basically was fire and water. He was a
firefighter with Squad 1 in Brooklyn, and he had a part-time
job as the bay constable in Smithtown, N.Y. The bay constable
job allowed him to be out on the water a lot, and he was entranced
by water and its calming effect. Not that he needed calming
down. He was the epitome of the laid-back man. "He was my rock," said
his wife, Martha. "We'd get bills and they would give me ulcers,
and he'd say, 'Don't worry about it, the bills will be there
tomorrow.'" In some respects, he could be too laid back. "The
grass could grow six feet, and it didn't bother him," Mrs.
Butler said. "I'd try to get him to do it, and he'd say, 'The
grass'll be there tomorrow.'" Firefighter Butler, 37, lived
in Kings Park, N.Y., with his wife and three children, Kelly,
4, Shawn, 6, and Patrick, 8 months. Patrick was christened
on Sept. 9, and Firefighter Butler wanted to have a big party.
Mrs. Butler was getting her usual ulcers about the cost. He
insisted. He wanted to buy a suit for the occasion. Her reaction
was, "Tom, do you really need a suit?" He got the suit. They
had the party. "I'm so glad we did it," Mrs. Butler said, "because
everyone was there and everyone got to see Tom that last time."
Poem
by a friend Tracy Beissel
Newsday
Article