KEVIN HAD THE SOFTEST HEART,ALWAYS HAD A SMILE ON ,NO MATTER WHAT THE OCCASION.HE LOVED HIS FAMILY DEARLY,HIS WIFE MARYANN DAUGHTERS JAMIE AND CORINNE,HIS PARENTS DENNIS AND HANNAH,BROTHER DENNIS,SISTER PATRICIA,TONS OF RELATIONS BOTH HERE IN THE STATES AND IRELAND.HIS MOTHER CAME FROM CO.MONAHAN AND HIS FATHERS PEOPLE ARE FROM RATHPEAK,BALLINASLOE.HE WILL BE SADLY MISSED,MAY GOD REST HIS SOUL. -- SEAN O`ROURKE

Kids' Best Friend All the kids knew. If their bike was broken B a flat tire, a loose chain B then all they had to do was take it to the firehouse and see Kevin M. O'Rourke. He would dig his tool kit out of his locker, where the other firefighters had taped up a sign saying "Kevin's Bike Shop," and he'd fix it. And while the kids were there, he invariably taught them fire safety. He would unroll a rug and demonstrate how to do the stop, drop and roll technique for when one's clothes caught fire. Firefighter O'Rourke, 44, lived with his wife, Maryann, and their daughters, Corinne, 20, and Jamie, 17, in Hewlett, N.Y. Each year, his family and his wife's family would converge for a ski trip and a golf outing. He also was a regular in the annual firefighter ski races at Hunter Mountain. There would be five-man teams, and they would be in their jackets and helmets and have to cling to a fire hose and swoop down the mountain. There were innumerable teams, but one year Firefighter O'Rourke's came in fifth, and it made him very proud. Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 31, 2001. -- Jay Dooling (Friend )

May you sleep with the angels Kevin, for you surely deserve it. You are a true hero and you've not only made your family proud, but also an entire grateful nation as well. EVERYONE PLEASE PRAY FOR KEVIN'S FAMILY THAT THEY FIND STRENGTH AND COMFORT IN ALL THE MEMORIES THEY SHARED WITH KEVIN. -- ANONYMOUS (Friend )

I will never forget you. -- anonymous (Friend {})

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