Louis Modafferi, 45, fire captain was a candidate for FDNY chief - Trained to scuba dive and handle hazardous materials - he assisted in rescue efforts abroad - Date of Death 9/11/2001 - By David Andreatta Advance staff writer Tuesday, 10/23/2001

As a man who was once a waiter, a chimney sweep and a mechanic, Louis J. Modafferi knew what working for a living was all about. But being a firefighter wasn't just a job for the Fire Department's Rescue Co. 5 captain; it was a way of life. He was courageous, organized, quick on his feet and he put others first. Weekends were spent with his children; he shoveled snow from his neighbors' driveways without being asked and, in the end, he volunteered his life to save countless others. Mr. Modafferi wasn't scheduled to work on the morning of Sept. 11, but joined his squad at Rescue 5 in Concord when he heard that airplanes had slammed into the World Trade Center. He was among five firefighters from that elite company who weren't supposed to be there, but jumped on the unit's truck as it departed for Manhattan. And he was one of the 11 who never came back after the Twin Towers collapsed. Mr. Modafferi was 45. "His job was very important to him," said his wife, the former Joanne Palladino. "If he had to choose how he was going to die, he would have chosen being a hero and doing what he did. That much gives me comfort." Mr. Modafferi began his career with the Fire Department in January 1982 at Engine Co. 247 in Brooklyn. He was steadily promoted over the years, topping the department's lists for lieutenant in 1994 and again for captain in 1999. He had been with Rescue 5 since January 1999. In March 1992, he was called to LaGuardia Airport when an airplane somersaulted off the runway into the freezing waters of Flushing Bay. Mr. Modafferi received a citation from the Fire Department for his work during the nor'easter of 1992. He was one of the first on the scene when a terrorist bomb ripped through the basement of the World Trade Center in February 1993, and assisted when the Chinese vessel Golden Venture was crippled on Rockaway Beach in June of that year. His immaculate service record caught the attention of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 1996. Trained to scuba dive and handle hazardous materials, he was commissioned by the agency to assist in rescue efforts abroad. When Hurricane Georges devastated the city of Santo Domingo in September 1998, he went to the Dominican Republic to help pick up the pieces of shattered lives. He was also called to operate in Puerto Rico. At the time he went missing, Mr. Modafferi was among the Fire Department's top candidates for chief. "He was one of the best captains I've ever worked with," said Lt. Robert Dimperio of Rescue 5. "The way he handled people, there was no distinction between a fireman and a chief of the department. He always treated you with respect." It's not surprising that Mr. Modafferi excelled at his profession. He burned the midnight oil for months before departmental exams and kept himself in shape -- a habit carried over from his days as captain of the gymnastics team at Lafayette High School in his native Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. Mr. and Mrs. Modafferi had made their home in Great Kills since 1985, but Bensonhurst was always close to his heart. It was where he came of age, lost his father at the age of 11, worked as a mechanic before the Fire Department came calling, and met his wife in 1975. Before he went missing, he still played a monthly game of softball with pals from the old neighborhood. "He was just so down to earth. That's exactly why I fell in love with him," Mrs. Modafferi said. "I'm very lucky to have been married to him and to have known him for 26 years. It wasn't long enough." A big fan of Trans-Ams, Mr. Modafferi sold his beloved car to pay for an engagement ring. As a man who knew the value of a dollar, he never let Mrs. Modafferi forget what he sacrificed for her diamond -- when she opened the ring box, it was empty except for a tiny Trans-Am. The couple was married in May 1981 and their first child, Christine, was born two years later. Mr. Modafferi called his daughter "his princess" and beamed with pride at how she had turned out. On Labor Day weekend, he and his wife helped their daughter move into her dorm room at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J., where she was set to start her freshman year. Mr. Modafferi was never more excited than for the adventure "his princess" was about to embark upon. "He was a perfect father in my eyes. He never let me down," Miss Modafferi said. "I miss him so much. He is always on my mind." He was also actively involved with his sons, Michael and Joseph, setting aside weekends to watch them play soccer. Mr. Modafferi traveled as far away as Minnesota and Florida to watch Michael, 16, and enjoyed seeing 12-year-old Joseph hone his skills. "He was always there for me and supported me in everything I did," Michael said. "He was not only my Dad but also my best friend," Joseph said. "He was a good son," said his mother, Rae Modafferi. In addition to his wife, Joanne, his daughter, Christine, his sons, Michael and Joseph, and his mother, Rae, surviving are his brother, Anthony, and his sister, Patricia Codispoti. A memorial mass is scheduled for Monday at 11 a.m. in St. Clare's R.C. Church, Great Kills.

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