Thomas
Kelly, 51, a firefighter, had history with Trade Center
Livingston man took his future wife to landmark on their first
'big date' 30 years ago Date of Death 9/11/2001
By Stephanie Slepian Advance staff writer Monday, 10/01/2001
As a 20-year-old apprentice in the steamfitters' union, one of
Thomas W. Kelly's first assignments took him to the World Trade
Center. It was 1970, and what would become New York City's most
prominent landmark was climbing upwards. He was responsible for
spraying asbestos to provide heat and insulation on the 40th floor
of Tower 1. He wrote his initials and 638, his United Association
union local, in the stairwell. Next to it, he wrote "UA forever."
In September 1971, he showed this marking to his future bride
when he took Kitty Murphy out on their "first big date." Mr. Kelly
completed the circle on Sept. 11, returning to the place where
his career began — only this time he was on a rescue mission as
a firefighter with Manhattan's Ladder Co. 15. His younger brother,
Dennis, 43, exited a Wall Street subway station moments after
the first plane struck Tower 1. Already, a steady stream of debris
was falling from the sky. After the second strike, he immediately
made his way to his brother's firehouse. He was told by Firefighters
Arthur Barry and Eric Olsen that Mr. Kelly was already on his
way to the scene. After wishing his brother's comrades "Godspeed,"
Dennis Kelly boarded the Staten Island Ferry, knowing his brother
was in the inferno that was blazing behind him. From St. George,
he ran the 1½ miles to his brother's Livingston house, where the
family was already keeping a vigil. Mr. Kelly is listed among
the missing victims of the World Trade Center disaster. He was
in the middle of a 24-hour tour when he responded to the devastation.
Olsen and Barry, both Staten Islanders, are also missing. "He
took me to the Trade Center on our first big date," Mrs. Kelly
said. "We went to the Copacabana and after the Copacabana, we
took a taxi to the Trade Center." A $20 bill convinced the security
guard to let the young couple upstairs. The security guard told
Mr. Kelly "to put a hard hat on your young lady." After placing
a hard hat on her head, the two rode the elevator to the 40th
floor and to 30 years of happiness together. They married March
2, 1974 in Holy Cross R.C. Church, Brooklyn. Mr. Kelly joined
the Fire Department in 1984. "He had a love of saving people,"
Mrs. Kelly said. "He was just looking for that." He was a member
of the department's Emerald Society. "He was sarcastic, funny,
he was really a very interesting person and such a caring, loving
man," Mrs. Kelly said. Mr. Kelly left a wide circle of friends,
who still can not comprehend that they will never see him again.
"You grab a stool, order a beer and wonder why Tommy is not here.
Then the thoughts of that dreadful day bring on feelings of sadness
and dismay," wrote close friend Charlie (Buddy) Hostetter in a
tribute to Mr. Kelly. "You stare blankly into space knowing you'll
never forget Tommy's face." Barbara Freda said Mr. Kelly always
rooted for the underdog. "I met him 30 years ago," she said. "He's
been a very close friend to me and we'll miss him dearly." A player
on Liedy's Shore Inn softball team, Mr. Kelly was an avid collector
of Brooklyn Dodgers memorabilia. He was also an expert in the
kitchen and loved taking care of his four cats. Born in Brooklyn,
he moved to Livingston in 1983. He was a parishioner of St. Paul's
R.C. Church, New Brighton. In addition to his wife of 27 years,
Kitty, Mr. Kelly is
survived by two sons, Frank and Thomas; four brothers, William,
Robert, Frank and Dennis, and a sister, Maureen Paglia. Mr. Kelly
would have celebrated his 51st birthday on Sept. 18, one week
after the attack. On Sept. 25, two weeks after the attack, he
would have celebrated the 30th anniversary of the day he met his
wife. And tomorrow, three weeks after the attack, Mr. Kelly will
be remembered by his family and friends in a memorial mass. "To
give closure to this, I wanted to do it on a Tuesday," Mrs. Kelly
said. The mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. in St. Peter's R.C.
Church, New Brighton. The Rev. Vincent Bartley, pastor of St.
Paul's Church, will officiate.
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