Lives
Remembered
Michael
D'Auria, 25, rookie firefighter was gourmet cook
He followed in his mother's family's FDNY footsteps, and expressed
his spiritual side in his paintings and reading
DATE OF DEATH 9/11/2001
By Kathryn Carse
Advance staff writer
Thursday, 10/18/2001
Michael
D'Auria always wanted to be a firefighter, following a tradition
in his mother's family.
While
waiting to take the test, he attended culinary school. This somewhat
unusual route to the department did not go unappreciated. Many
firefighters take pride in their cooking abilities, but as one
firefighter said, "when we saw Mike's name on the board we
knew we were going to eat good that night."
Mr.
D'Auria graduated from the New York Restaurant School, Manhattan,
in 1994, and worked in various Brooklyn and Manhattan restaurants
before coming to Staten Island in 1999 to work at La Fontana,
Oakwood, and Giovanni's Cafe, Eltingville. He also continued to
pursue his boyhood dream of being a firefighter, going to the
top of the list after scoring 100 percent on the written and physical
test. "We knew he could do it, but when he did achieve those
marks, I was so excited, I cried," said his mother, Nancy
Marra. Her son was following in the footsteps of nine family members,
including his uncle and godfather, retired Firefighter Robert
Cimei, and another uncle, Lt. Bobby Perretta.
The
25-year-old Great Kills resident was sworn into the department
on May 2. After training at the Fire Academy on Randalls Island,
he was assigned to Engine Co. 40 on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
On
Sept. 11, he had been on the job for only nine weeks. Mr. D'Auria
and the other members of his company on duty that morning did
not return from the World Trade Center.
Born
in Brooklyn, Mr. D'Auria was brought to Great Kills when he was
5 years old. After culinary school he lived in Queens and Brooklyn
before returning to Great Kills in 1998.
Never
having cooked as a kid, Mr. D'Auria surprised his family with
his interest in the art. Inspired by a girlfriend's pictures of
the ice sculptures and food presentation on a cruise, he saw something
he wanted to do and pursued it when he graduated from high school.
His
relatives in the department jokingly advised him not to tell anyone
he was a chef. But he enjoyed it so much and was so proud of his
skill that he would often stay and cook for the next shift at
the firehouse.
His
spontaneous and ambitious spirit resurfaced recently when he began
painting in earnest. Within the last year he had completed several
paintings, including one that was a birthday gift for his sister,
Christina Rinaldi.
In
the painting, a brother and sister about the same age are playing
in a field. Although Mr. D'Auria was four years younger, the two
often talked about feeling like twins. "I felt his pride
and his pain," said his sister. "We didn't have to say
anything to understand one another. We could just look."
The painting did not need an explanation.
Although
conflicting schedules kept the brother and sister from seeing
each other frequently, they always had interesting and deep conversations.
During a long conversation in the spring, Mr. D'Auria told his
sister words that she remembers very clearly. "When I die
it's going to be in a big way," he said, "and it's going
to change the world."
Another
painting, which he gave his mother, was of an angel.
While
these prophetic words and paintings resonate today, they reflect
Mr. D'Auria's spirituality, which was also symbolized in the books
he was reading, including works by Deepak Chopra and Carl Jung.
"Forever
is a long time, but you don't realize it until you lose someone,"
Mrs. Marra said.
In
addition to his mother, Nancy, and his sister, Christina, surviving
are his father, Carmen; his maternal grandparents, Nancy and Dominick
Cimei; his paternal grandmother, Nancy D'Auria, and his stepfather,
Bill Marra.
A
memorial mass will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Clare's
R.C. Church, Great Kills.
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