Thomas
J. McCann Firefighter a Warmhearted, Popular Man December 27,
2001
When
Natalie Moriarty was growing up, her big brother, Thomas Joseph
McCann, was always looking out for her. "As a teenager, he was
always very protective of me," she said. "If he caught me doing
something wrong with my friends, he would send me straight home.
He always tried to make sure I did the right thing. All the time."
Moriarty called her brother "a big, warmhearted, loving kind of
guy," who was popular with everyone he met in his Woodside neighborhood.
"He's always had so many friends," she said. "I can't think of
anyone who didn't like Tommy." Ray Curatolo, who grew up with
McCann in the same Woodside apartment building, chose him as his
best man, and vice versa. "There was no doubt in my mind about
who my best man should be," Curatolo said. He said that he, too,
saw McCann as an older brother: "A security blanket," Curatolo
said. "The thing I'll always remember about his wedding and my
wedding is that Tom made me feel comfortable around him. I never
had to worry about anything when he was around me. He was the
one to make sure I was OK on his wedding day." A firefighter with
Division 3 Battalion 8 in midtown Manhattan and a recently appointed
trustee of Exhibition Employees Union Local 829 in Manhattan,
McCann, 46, a father of two, is presumed dead in the terrorist
attacks. He and his older brother, George, played golf three days
before, George McCann said. An avid golfer, George McCann said
his younger brother was always great competition on the links.
"He loved playing golf, and it was certainly a passion for him,"
he said. Moriarty said she was fortunate to play a few rounds
of golf with her brother, too. He always offered to lend a helping
hand, but never forced his help on her, she said. "He would never
tell you what I was doing wrong unless I asked," she said. "And
if I asked, he was a great instructor." But perhaps McCann's favorite
role to play on the greens was to caddy for his 13-year-old son,
Sean. "His favorite golf partner was his son," said McCann's wife,
Anne. "They spent a lot of time playing golf together." McCann
split himself between two jobs: a firefighter and the "right-hand
man" for Local 829's president, Jay McNamee. "He loved being a
part of 829," his wife said. "He started working with them as
a stagehand and rose through the ranks very quickly," his wife
said. A "big man," McCann would sometimes be responsible for driving
exotic sports cars to auto shows in Manhattan, George McCann said.
"He would joke about how he'd be afraid that he could get in the
cars, but might not be able to get out." As a firefighter, McCann
offered the New York Fire Department a cool head and plenty of
experience, said Division 3 Battalion 8 Chief Jerry Koziak. McCann
insisted on working in the same "grueling midtown" firehouse throughout
his career because he "enjoyed the midtown madness," Koziak said.
But the grind of the midtown beat never withered McCann's spirits.
"He was a very laid-back individual," Koziak said. "He was always
a jovial guy and a lot of fun to work with. He was a credit."
Curatolo said his friend's interest in and concern for people
were always genuine. "He loved people and cared so much." Anne
McCann sees her husband in both of her children. She sees his
athletic prowess in her 16-year-old daughter, Courtney, whenever
she does a handspring, and in Sean when he's putting. "They're
both great athletes, and I know they didn't inherit it from me,"
she said between chuckles. But her holiday spirits were dampened
by her loss. "She's been struggling with two children who are
trying to figure out how to grow up without Dad being there,"
George McCann said. "There are no easy words to describe what
everyone's going through." -- Nick Iyer (Newsday)
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