Firefighter
Charles Mendez
Ladder 7
Memorial
Service was held
on October 13, 2001
Laid
to Rest
on January 7, 2002.
'I
Have No Regrets'
Charles R. Mendez was a reed of a boy who grew up to be a "good
sized" man with a heart to match, said his mother, Doris Mendez.
When Mr. Mendez's father died, he was a tremendous help to his
mother, even though he was only 21. Mr. Mendez was a firefighter
with Ladder Company 7 in Manhattan. His last job was at the
World Trade Center. He was 38. "He was sort of quiet but well-liked
all over," Mrs. Mendez said. "He wanted to be a policeman, first.
Then he was working for a bank but when the Fire Department
called him, that was his glory. He loved that job." Firefighter
Mendez's wife, Kelli, said her husband so enjoyed his job that
there were many mornings he rose early to leave home in Floral
Park, on Long Island, to get to work. When he was not working,
he renovated their old house, she said. He learned how to be
handy by reading books. "He was always doing something," she
said. "We had a million friends and we were always out doing
something. We probably vacationed five times a year. I have
no regrets -- we never canceled, we never said we can't go,
we just did it. "He was just a wonderful, wonderful person.
If I'd known five years ago this would happen, I still would
have married him. He was it. He was my best friend." Profile
published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 20, 2001.
Newsday
Article