Faustino Apostol, 55, firefighter, was funny, youthful, loving
23-year FDNY veteran's unit was among the first to arrive at the scene
Date of Death 9/11/2001
By Jodi Lee Reifer
Advance staff writer
Thursday, 10/04/2001

Deborah Apostol will never forget the look on her firefighter father in-law's face when she told him she was pregnant. Faustino Apostol, 55, was sure she was joking. Only one week earlier, his other daughter-in-law, Jennifer, announced she was going to have a baby.

"He just stood in the living room for a good three minutes," recalled Deborah Apostol. "He kept saying, 'Are you sure? Are you sure?' "

Nine months later, Riley Thomas and Michael Thomas were born six days apart, creating one very busy set of grandparents. Mr. Apostol and his wife, the former Kathleen Neville, promptly converted a room in their Annadale home into a nursery, complete with fire engine baby sheets, hats and trucks.

Today the family struggles with how they will convey Mr. Apostol's humor, youthfulness, and loving nature to the 18-month-old boys as they grow up. He was killed in the World Trade Center attack Sept. 11.

"It would probably take me a year to write down everything I wanted to explain to my son and even those words probably wouldn't be enough," said Deborah Apostol.

Mr. Apostol was on duty that morning with Engine 24/Ladder 5 in the SoHo section of Manhattan, where he had worked since 1998. Earlier, he had served with Engine 55 in Little Italy, after beginning his career Jan. 25, 1978.

His unit was among the first to arrive at the scene. Soon after the first hijacked plane slammed into Tower 1, Mr. Apostol phoned his wife and told her the situation was under control and he was OK.

Those were the last words the high school sweethearts exchanged. Like many firefighters, Mr. Apostol and his colleagues became family to one another. He and his good friend, Tony Castano, of the same engine company dined monthly with a group of firefighters at the Manor restaurant in West Orange, N.J. He vacationed with firefighters, and loved department outings. He was a member of the Holy Name Society and the Columbian Association.

Mr. Apostol cultivated many friendships through the department, in the neighborhood and at his second job at Staten Island University Hospital, where he worked for 25 years, most recently as a security guard.

But perhaps the people who adored Mr. Apostol most are his family members. Not only his wife and his sons, Justin and Christopher, but also his daughters-in-law. He treated them like daughters, said Deborah Apostol.

When she first met her father-in-law they laughed about how they both liked singer Cyndi Lauper. "I almost said forget about my husband, he's the keeper." "My in-laws were like our friends. We'd go out to restaurants. We'd take them to see a band. All the time. You just had to invite them and they were there," she said.

Mr. Apostol enjoyed Pink Floyd, Meat Loaf, even Marc Anthony. "Loud music," said his daughter-in-law.

The couples vacationed together 11 times in Wildwood, N.J.

When the grandchildren were born, Mr. Apostol fell naturally into his role as grandfather. "He just did anything and everything for those boys," said Deborah Apostol. Even though they are not quite 2 years old, Mr. Apostol was already teaching them how to hold a baseball.

Mr. Apostol thought his daughter-in-law was joking about her pregnancy because they often teased each other. The family would playfully say things like Mr. Apostol wasn't allowed in a restaurant because of his "disorderly" conduct. In addition to music, Mr. Apostol had a passion for antique cars. His sons were considering buying him one for his 60th birthday. He also loved to travel, especially to the Caribbean.

He had been there as a young man, when he served in the Navy from 1965 to 1968. Born in Manhattan, he moved to Stapleton in 1948. The 1965 Curtis High School graduate settled in Annadale about 22 years ago, where he became a neighborhood helper.

"He was the type of guy who, if he saw you taking in the groceries and you had one too many bags, he'd come running across the parking lot and take one from you," said Deborah Apostol.

Mr. Apostol was a devoted parishioner of Holy Child R.C. Church in Eltingville. In addition to his wife of 33 years, Kathleen, his sons, Justin and Christopher, and his two grandsons, surviving is his mother, Lena Apostol.

Back to Faustino's Home Page