A
Firefighter Who Baby-Sat
When
both of his daughters-in-law became pregnant in the spring of
1999, Faustino Apostol took a rooting interest. "I was due
a month after," said Jennifer Apostol, the wife of Mr. Apostol's
younger son, Christopher, "but Faust said he had his money
on me."
Mr.
Apostol, 55, was the chief aide in Battalion 2 of the Fire Department,
with 28 years on the force; he joked that he would quit only when
the job stopped being fun. For the last 33 years, he had been
married to his high school girlfriend. When they heard about the
attacks on the World Trade Center, his family knew that he would
be in the middle of the action.
"That's
how he was," Ms. Apostol said. "When my son was born,
the hospital wouldn't even let my mother in. Faust made up a story
to sneak in. I couldn't believe he was there. But he'd do anything
for you. You didn't have to ask. My neighbors used to ask us,
'Where'd you find a baby sitter who also mowed the lawn?' "
Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on October 10, 2001.
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