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Walter G. Hynes He Loved His Family and the Law September 17, 2001
Oct. 2, 2001 When firefighters were ordered to evacuate the World Trade Center's north tower, Capt. Walter Hynes, leader of Ladder Co. 13, was with his men as they descended the stairs. Somewhere on the way down, they found about 50 people in distress and tried to help them leave. Many never made it, including Hynes, a man who always made time for others. "His greatest personal quality was his generosity of time, spirit and even his money," recalled his brother-in-law, Richard Fanning. "He was always the first guy to pick up a restaurant check or a bar tab." In addition to being a firefighter for 22 years, Hynes, 46, of Belle Harbor, N.Y., was a practicing attorney, Fanning said. "He was widely known throughout the community and throughout the fire department for being able and willing to provide free legal advice," Fanning said. "Walter seemed to have an inexhaustible reserve of time. He never turned down a favor." Hynes met his wife, Veronica, while helping Fanning move to a new apartment 17 years ago. Around the neighborhood, Fanning said, Hynes and his three grammar school-age daughters were known as "Walter and His Ladies." --Ted Gregory (The Chicago Tribune) |
Walter
G. Hynes, a New York Fire Department captain and attorney who
was well-known in the Rockaways, was among the many firefighers
from his neighborhood who died in the World Trade Center collapse.
He was 46. "He loved having his family around,” his brother-in-law,
Fire Lt. Tom Farragher, said yesterday. Farragher recalled him
as a popular figure in the community, who enjoyed taking his three
daughters each year to Disney World. "He was very social. He just
loved life.” Farragher said Hynes, a Belle Harbor resident who
first moved to the Rockaways when he was 14, died when Tower Two
collapsed Tuesday. Hynes, who worked in Ladder Co. 13 on the Upper
East Side, got his law degree by taking evening classes at St.
John's University. When neighborhood residents had a legal problem,
they sought him out first and often got advice for free, Farragher
said, adding, "He loved helping people.” Hynes joined the fire
department in 1979, working as a firefighter and then a lieutenant
in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood before his promotion
to captain. He was a member of the Holy Name Society, the Emerald
Society and the Knights of Columbus. Survivors include his wife,
Veronica; his children, Caitlin, 12, Kerry, 11, and Deirdre, 8;
his mother, Margaret, of Rockaway Beach; and his sister, Patricia
Hynes, of Belle Harbor. -- Paul Moses (Newsday)