Fixing Up the House
Raised by his mother and grandmother, Kenneth
Kumpel, 42, spent much of his adulthood filling in the gaps left
by an absentee father. He was a self- taught handyman and craftsman
around the house; an endlessly patient, delighted father of Gregory,
11, and Carl, 9; a buddy who sought, through work, the camaraderie
of other guys, first as a New York City police officer and then,
more happily, as a firefighter. Because firefighters can have
a few days off between shifts, Firefighter Kumpel, a steady, warm
presence, had time for his sons. He cooked, cleaned, coached,
volunteered and endlessly fixed up their house in Cornwall, N.Y.,
perfecting his stained-glass windows, tiling and floors. That
was his castle, his home. But the firehouse — Ladder Company 25
on Manhattan's Upper West Side — was Firefighter Kumpel's home
away from home. He would fix up the firehouse, too. Oh boy, would
he. Why is that bed slowly sinking to the floor when a firefighter
flops on it? Someone propped it on empty soda cans! Who switched
the handles and hinges on the refrigerator door? Smeared peanut
butter on the phone receiver? "The Fire Department definitely
helped complete him," said Nancy Kumpel, his wife of 18 years.
Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 31, 2001.
KENNETH KUMPEL, 42, of Cornwall, N.Y., a firefighter with the
New York Fire Department, was a prankster and a craftsman. He
built the family's home in Cornwall after renovating their former
home in West Brighton. As a practical joke, he once switched the
handles and hinges on a firehouse refrigerator so it opened from
the opposite side. At a memorial Mass, an FDNY marine unit fireboat
sprayed plumes of water, making rainbows in the air. The display
honored Kumpel's love of the Hudson River and the family's boat,
which was christened the Batboat. Copyright © 2001 The Associated
Press
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