Today is the birthday of FDNY firefighter Jonathan Hohmann of Haz Mat Co. 1. He was born on September 4, 1953, and would have been 68 years old today. We will never forget the ultimate sacrifice that he made on September 11, 2001.
Dedicated to faith, family and expanding the tools of his trade -- that was Firefighter Jonathan R. Hohmann.
In his 13 years with the Fire Department, the 48-year-old Tottenville native moved up the ranks until he eventually joined Hazmat Co. 1 in the Maspeth section of Queens. He was a skilled mechanic -- taking on a second job as the master mechanic for a trucking company in Queens -- left for work each morning at 5 a.m. and was devoted to his church, his wife and his two young sons.
"My husband loved to learn things," said his wife of 17 years, the former Rosemarie Francavilla. "As long as he was learning things, that made him happy." "He will always be my hero," she added. "He was a proud man, of his family and his children."
Like so many of his fellow firefighters sent to the scene of the World Trade Center disaster, the Annadale resident continually added to his resume of life-saving skills. He had recently attended a training session in Alabama; learned early on in his career how to drive a Fire Department truck, and spent time in the department's Marine Division.
With Hazmat, he was trained for events like the tragedy that unfolded on Sept. 11. So it should serve as no surprise that Mr. Hohmann and his crew were outside the Twin Towers 18 minutes after the planes hit.
His squad was assigned to Tower 1 between the second and 12th floors. Now, Mr. Hohmann and 18 of his comrades are among the missing. But it is his faith -- acted out in daily readings of the Bible and regular activities with his sons and the youth ministry of Bethel Evangelical Free Church in Eltingville -- that have helped Mrs. Hohmann through this time.
"He knew that if anything happened to him, he'd be in the Lord's presence, and that comforts me," she said. "His faith was everything for him."
He was always with his sons, whether it was bowling with Matthew, 14, or watching 11-year-old Gregory play basketball. Mr. Hohmann also went on youth ministry trips with the boys to Lake George, N.Y., and Philadelphia.
The Sunday before the attack, the Hohmann family -- complete with Scooter their dog -- spent the day in Wolfe's Pond Park.
"It was a real good family day together," Mrs. Hohmann said. "I'm glad we have that memory of him."
The family was also known to take longer trips, visiting points all over the East Coast. Earlier this year, they went to Tennessee. Mr. Hohmann found it peaceful and beautiful.
"He said, 'I think we found the place we're going to retire to,' " Mrs. Hohmann said. "There were beautiful lakes and the people were wonderful."
Mr. Hohmann, a 1971 graduate of Tottenville High School, and his family moved to Annadale in 1995.
Staten Island Advance, 2001