By
Kathryn Carse Advance staff writer Saturday, 10/06/2001
At
6'3," Timothy (Timmy) Patrick McSweeney was known as "The Big
Guy" or "Gentle Giant," and his heart was as big as his stature.
His kindness and gentleness were always felt by his wife and children,
and he was a loving big brother to his three younger sisters,
who always sought him out for advice. Mr. McSweeney carried these
roles with him to Ladder Co. 3 in Manhattan's Greenwich Village,
where he spent his entire Fire Department career. He was on his
regular tour when two hijacked jetliners crashed into the towers
of the World Trade Center. Twelve men from his company are missing.
>From radio contact, they were believed to have been helping burn
victims in Tower 1. A senior member in his company, he was known
for training "probies." Known as "Timbo" to his friends, he also
ran the firehouse commissary, doing the bookkeeping and supervising
the shopping and supplies. Mr. McSweeney married the former Debra
(Debbie) McComiskey, in 1995. Mrs. McSweeney was a longtime friend
and his sister's best friend. They raised their three children
together by working around his schedule as a firefighter and hers
as a nurse. At home. Mr. McSweeney played an active role in his
children's lives every step of the way --bathtime, playing games,
going to the park, bedtime. He also was a good cook, turning out
his culinary creations at home and at the firehouse. "He enjoyed
being home with the kids," said his wife. "He would make a good
meal; we just enjoyed being together." A trip to the Jersey shore
right after Labor Day had given them a chance to do just that.
Born in Brooklyn, Mr. McSweeney was brought to Annadale as a 1-year-old.
He attended PS 36 in Annadale, Bernstein Intermediate School in
Huguenot, and graduated from Tottenville High School in 1982.
He had worked as a carpenter, framing houses, until 1987, when
he followed in his father's footsteps and joined the Fire Department,
assigned to Ladder Co. 3 Mr. McSweeney's father, retired Battalion
Chief Dennis McSweeney, is sharing his personal loss with many
friends whose sons also followed them into the Fire Department.
"Dollarwise, you could do better, but guys don't do it for the
monetary value," the elder McSweeney said. "It's the job satisfaction.
They are happy doing what they are doing." Permits to build a
retaining wall, part of an overall plan to level out the backyard
and put in a pool, arrived the week of Sept. 10. Many of his friends,
also firemen, turned up at the McSweeney home in his absence to
help finish the work he started. Mr. McSweeney was a sports enthusiast,
and was an all-star first baseman in his youth for the South Shore
Little League and the South Shore Babe Ruth League. As an adult,
he played softball for local teams and the Fire Department team.
He had also played with the Staten Island Touch Tackle League
for 15 years, retiring last year from the Silver Foxes following
his team's triple crown win. Mr. McSweeney was a parishioner of
St. Clare's R.C. Church, Great Kills. He was close to all his
in-laws, especially his wife's grandmother, Catherine ("Nana"
McComiskey). In addition to his wife, Debbie, and his father,
Dennis, Mr. McSweeney is survived by his two sons, Dennis and
Patrick; his daughter, Margaret (Maggie); his stepmother, Katherine;
his three sisters, Ann McLaughlin; Erin Eagers and Patricia Friscia;
his stepbrother, Kevin McNulty, and his stepsister Keren McNulty.
There will be a memorial mass Tuesday at 11 a.m. in St. Clare's
Church. Arrangements are being handled by the John Vincent Scalia
Home for Funerals, Eltingville.
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