Dennis McHugh was a New York City firefighter with Ladder Co. 13. His brother, Mike McHugh, said his family last heard from him that morning when he left for work. Michael McHugh spoke of a brother with a goofy grin and a sharp sense of humor who often made himself the punchline of jokes — and someone who was more than a sibling. ""He was an older brother by birth, but he was a great friend by choice,"" Michael McHugh said of his brother, who abandoned a career in finance to pursue his calling as a firefighter. Another McHugh brother, Tom, is a fire marshal with the New York Fire Department.Dennis McHugh always knew the right thing to say and was always available to lend a sympathetic ear in times of distress, Michael McHugh said. ""It's ironic,"" he said, ""but it's times like these when we need Dennis the most."" Dermid Kelly remembered meeting McHugh in the second grade and watching as the new kid in class headed straight for the fireman's pole on the school playground. A transplant from the Bronx, McHugh played the tough kid, Kelly recalled, and slid down the pole head first. ""Obviously, my next stop with Dennis was to Mrs. Grace, the school nurse,"" Kelly recalled. Dennis McHugh was married, had three children and was active at St. John's Church in Piermont, where a memorial service was held."

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