Ridgewood native Robert Hamilton, a firefighter for Squad 41 in the South Bronx, was remembered as a true public servant during his funeral last Friday. At 6’, 230 pounds, he was a strong teddy bear wit Firefighter Robert Hamilton. h a big smile who loved to pull victims from fires. But his heroism showed in life’s little details, too. On Thanksgiving, he would cook yams for more than 400 senior citizens and homeless people at the Immaculate Conception Church near the firehouse. And when there was no danger, Hamilton was known to be friendly with local kids, often helping them fix their bicycles. Maybe this was because his bicycle was such an important part of his childhood on Forest Avenue. He used to ride behind fire trucks to watch FDNY’s Bravest battle blazes as far away as in Brooklyn, his father Robert told the Times Newsweekly soon after the September 11 terrorist attack had claimed his life. Located on E. 150th Street, Squad 41 is a specialty operations unit which lost six members responding to the World Trade Center tragedy. Survivors, friends, family members and numerous Bronx residents were among the 500 individuals who attended the fallen hero’s funeral Mass and burial at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in upstate Washingtonville. In addition to his father, Firefighter Hamilton is survived by wife Elizabeth, 12-year-old son Robert, eight-year-old daughter Christine, mother Arlene and siblings Mary, Barbara and John.

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