Joseph Grzelak, 52, FDNY, battalion chief went by the book Lifelong Port Richmond resident received 2 citations for life-saving heroics
Date of Death 9/11/2001 - By Alysha Sideman Advance staff writer Wednesday, 11/14/2001

Joseph Grzelak was a man of his word. In 1970, he saw Joanne Merola in the bowling alley. He told his buddies he would "get a date with that girl." He ended up marrying her. Mr. Grzelak loved to save lives and kept that commitment throughout his life. He received citations for two acts of life-saving heroism. In the end, he died saving even more. As the chief of Battalion 48 in the Prospect Park section of Brooklyn, Mr. Grzelak was dispatched to Tower 1 of the World Trade Center at 8:55 a.m. on Sept. 11. He called his wife and told her where he was headed and that an airplane had hit the tower. That was the last time she spoke with him. At the scene of the attacks, Mr. Grzelak, who was a "by the book" firefighter, was last seen instructing other firemen to put their helmets on before rushing into Tower 1. Back home, Mrs. Grzelak was concerned about her father, who was hospitalized that morning after he fell and was trampled while running out of Tower 5. "We were so concerned about my dad that day. We didn't think my husband would be missing," said Mrs. Grzelak. Mr. Grzelak, 52, a lifelong resident of Port Richmond, remains among the missing. "He was a devoted family man. I didn't just lose my husband that day. I lost my best friend," said his wife. A Vietnam veteran, he served as a sergeant in the Marine Corps from 1966 to 1970. He was in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, and served at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn in 1970. Mr. Grzelak had a long history with the New York City Fire Department. He started his career in 1973 in Engine Co. 279 in the Red Hook section of Brooklyn. He went on to Ladder Co. 80 in Port Richmond in 1983 -- the only time he was able to walk to work. After being promoted to lieutenant in 1987, he was stationed in Engine Co. 282 in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, and went to Engine Co. 155, New Brighton, in 1990. In 1993, he was promoted to captain. He served in Engine Co. 204 in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn before moving on to the chief of Battalion 38 in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn in 1998. He was transferred to Battalion 48 only four months ago. Earning two citations for saving lives while off-duty, the battalion chief had a police/fire scanner at home so he could monitor emergency dispatches. If he was close enough, he would respond to emergency scenes. He earned one of the citations by saving a boy from a house fire near the landfill by stacking up picnic tables to reach him. But he didn't receive recognition every time he saved lives, his family said. Once, he helped save a man suffering a heart attack at a bowling alley. More than once he stopped at accident scenes to help the injured. Mr. Grzelak loved to bowl and, in his youth, worked as a "pin chaser." An avid softball player, he played in the Goodhue softball league for the Forest Gardens Restaurant team with other firemen. From 1986 to 1992, he coached his two daughters' St. Roch's softball team. "He was the perfect combination of a father and a friend. You could joke around with him one second and the next second he would be providing you with something you needed. He lived to study and take those promotion tests. He instilled in us the importance of education," said his 23-year-old daughter, Debra. He was also a member of the Huttner-Pasqualini American Legion Post, Dongan Hills. After receiving a set of golf clubs for Father's Day, he had begun taking golf lessons. He also enjoyed hunting and took pride in the fact that he never missed a November deer hunting trip to upstate New York. In his leisure time, he loved watching Yankees and Giants games. Fascinated with trivia, especially historical facts, he was an expert at the "Jeopardy" game show and earned the nickname "Joe Knows" from his fellow firefighters. Mr. Grzelak was a parishioner of St. Roch's R.C. Church, Port Richmond. "My brother was dedicated to his family, friends and his profession. In everything he did, he always thought about others before himself. Growing up, I always looked to him, as he always made me proud. He was more than my brother, he was my hero," said his sister, Chris Galard. In addition to his wife, Joanne; his daughter, Debra, and his sister, Chris, surviving are another daughter, Kristie, 25, and two nephews, Michael and Matthew. There will be a memorial mass on Saturday at 10 a.m. in St. Roch's Church. The arrangements are being handled by the Harmon Home for Funerals, West Brighton.

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