David Fontana, 37, firefighter, accomplished artist, sculptor Date of Death 9/11/2001 Monday, 10/08/2001 Firefighter David Fontana, 37, of Park Slope, Brooklyn, and his wife, the former Marian Goldstein, would have celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary on the afternoon of Sept. 11, the day of the attack on the World Trade Center. Mr. Fontana, who had just completed a 24-hour shift in his Brooklyn firehouse with Squad 1, apparently raced to the scene of the tragedy. He has been missing since. Born and raised in Westbury, L.I., Mr. Fontana moved to Park Slope with his wife, a lifelong West Brighton resident, when they married. Mr. Fontana met his future bride while he was a student at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University, Brookville, L.I., where he earned a fine arts degree in sculpture. He later became a set designer for Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville, N.Y., in order to be closer to her while she pursued her education. He was intensely involved in the Staten Island arts community, and spent several days here each week, working on his art. Mr. Fontana recently completed an installation, a work combining painting and sculpture, in the Newhouse Galleries at Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Livingston, with his mother-in-law, Joyce Malerba-Goldstein. The work will be exhibited in the fall. Previously, he had designed the set for "The Glove Connection," a play by his sister-in-law, Leah Gray, which was performed at Snug Harbor in 1994. Mr. Fontana was also an amateur historian, and spent five years researching firefighters who died in World War II. As a rescue worker, he participated in flood relief work in Texas and rescues in the aftermath of a California earthquake. Mr. Fontana shared a love of rock climbing with his 18-year-old brother-in-law, Luke. "He was one of the most talented and unpretentious people I have ever met," said Mrs. Malerba-Goldstein. In addition to his wife, Marian, surviving are his 5-year-old son, Aidan; his mother, Antonia Fontana; his four brothers, Brian, Dennis, Hank, and Edward, and his two sisters, Ellen Fontana and Victoria Johnson. There will be a memorial service Oct. 17 at noon in St. Francis Xavier R.C. Church, Brooklyn.

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