George DiPasquale, 33, fireman, nicknamed 'Holy Man'
His father-in-law said 'he practiced what he preached'
Date of Death 9/11/2001
By Karen O'shea
Advance staff writer
Thursday, 10/04/2001

His family sums it up best: George DiPasquale was a firefighter who loved his job, but his faith and family were most important.

Mr. DiPasquale, who stood 6 feet 5 inches tall, carried that faith quietly and powerfully. His nickname at Ladder Co. 2 in Manhattan was "Holy Man."

The 33-year-old Elm Park resident had a ninth wedding anniversary Sept. 12, one day after the attack, and a birthday on Sept. 23.

But Mr. DiPasquale was one of 10 men who left with the Ladder 2 truck on Sept. 11 at 9:09 a.m. and never returned. He has been missing since the attack and is believed to have been in Tower 2 when the building collapsed.

Now his family is carrying on the way they believe Mr. DiPasquale would have encouraged them to do if he were here.

"He always stood tallest in the group, but it had nothing to do with his height," one firefighter from Ladder 2 wrote on a card delivered to the family. "He was a big man, but he was quiet. Everyone knew where he stood," said his father-in-law, Michael Mattei. "What he said he meant and he practiced what he preached."

Mr. Mattei said after three firefighters were killed in a building collapse on Father's Day, he asked his son-in-law why the department would send firefighters into an unstable building.

"His answer to me was that there may be people inside and we have to get them out. That is our job," recalled Mr. Mattei. "He understood what his responsibilities were."

Mr. DiPasquale's wife, the former Melissa Mattei, remembered something her husband recently told her about the couple's 21-month-old daughter, Georgia Rose.

"He said he couldn't believe how happy she made him feel," said Mrs. DiPasquale. "He was a devoted husband and a natural father." The two celebrated had their anniversary the weekend before the attack, on a three-day trip to Cape May, N.J.

"It was a perfect weekend," she said.

Mr. DiPasquale had been a firefighter since July of 1994.

A graduate of Port Richmond High School, he attended Western Maryland College in the town of Westminster. He played basketball while in high school and college, and also enjoyed playing the guitar.

Mr. DiPasquale was an elder in the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses, Mariners Harbor.

"He was a great friend, very dependable. You could rely on him. When he committed to something, you could carve it in stone," said Mr. DiPasquale's brother-in-law, Michael Mattei Jr., who served as best man at his sister's wedding.

Mr. DiPasquale's brother, John Howell, learned about his brother's firehouse nickname when he visited the ladder company in Manhattan. "His fellow firefighters loved him and respected him," said Mr. Howell. "His nickname was 'Holy Man' because he regularly shared his faith and hope with others on the job."

But his father-in-law said that while the nation and the city remember firefighters for their heroic acts on Sept. 11, the family will always remember Mr. DiPasquale as he was each day.

"He always put others first. He was giving and helpful," he said. "In our minds, he was very heroic in how he lived his life each and every day."

Born in Passaic, N.J., Mr. DiPasquale was brought up in River Edge, N.J. He moved to Staten Island as a teen-ager and lived in several different communities before settling in Elm Park five years ago.

In addition to his wife, Melissa, and his daughter, Georgia Rose, Mr. DiPasquale is survived by many family members and friends who will miss him, his family said.

A memorial service will be held Monday at 7 p.m. in the Hilton Garden Inn inside Staten Island Corporate Park, Bloomfield.

Back to George's Home Page