My Dad FF Ray York.

My Dads story begins in March of 1982 when he was assigned to 21 Engine in Midtown Manhattan, it was there that he met and befriended my Uncle Retired Lt Billy Abruzzino (one of my mothers 3 firefighting brothers.). Not many guys in the firehouse would be worthy of dating your sister but Ray York was a different kind. When my uncle introduced him to my mother in 1993 they immediately hit it off. Before they were even married my step father took on the role of Dad to 3 kids in addition to his own daughter. He was a Boy Scout leader, a little league coach and a role model without ever being asked or expected to be. My dad had 3 true passions in his life, his Family, The FDNY and The New York Yankees where on any given night he could heard doing his best John Sterling impression shouting “The Yankees Thhhhheee Yankees win!” Around the house, much to my mother’s dismay of course. (She’s also a Mets fan so I’m sure that added to it).

The end of August in the week leading up to Labor Day every year is spent with family in the Poconos, a tradition that has happened in my family for almost 40 years. August of 2001 was no different. We bbq’d, we fished, we swam, we watched Yankees pitcher Mike Mussina take a perfect game into the 9th inning only to lose it with 2 outs. The date was September 2nd. Earlier that day we had picked my dad up at a bus station a town away. You see my Dad took pride in the fact that he never missed a funeral of a firefighter killed in the line of duty in his nearly 20 years of service to the City of New York. That weekend his 3 passions were on full display and it’s something I’ll never forget.

In 2000 my dad severely injured his shoulder while on duty and had to undergo surgery. During his recovery he found himself on what we call “ light duty” working at The Fire Zone in Rockefeller Center teaching children about fire safety as “Fireman Ray”. Being a big kid himself and a knowledgeable firefighter it was a role he needed no practice for, he loved every minute of it and even went above to get the quartermaster to make kid sized turnout coats for the visiting kids. On days off he could be found enjoying his newfound therapeutic hobby of kayaking. Which he did all around NYC with many of firefighter buddies.
The last couple days I spent with my dad were my 11th birthday on Sunday September 9th, we spent that day my with my Uncle and cousin at their house eating pizza and watching the Jets kickoff their season to a 45-24 loss to the Colts. The next day Monday September 10th, was my first day of 6th grade and the day my dad drove down to FDNY Headquarters with a neighbor of ours (who was also a firefighter) to put in there retirement papers, the tentative date was October 1st, 2001. That night we waited to watch Roger Clemens go for his 20th win but the game was ultimately rained out.
The morning of Tuesday September 11th was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky, It was supposed to be the start of a major kayaking trip around the island of Manhattan launching from Battery Park, the trip was rescheduled because there was a news crew coming into the Fire Zone that day and my dad never being one to miss the big opportunity and have his face on camera just had to be there. When news broke that the WTC was hit by an airplane, the same news crew had no choice but to be where the bigger story was, my dad was along for the ride. When they got stuck in traffic, my dad flagged a passing ambulance that took him right down to West St. When the North tower came down my dad like so many others died a hero. He was last seen running into the lobby of 1 WTC and was found in the early morning of September 12th a phone call we got as we were preparing to go to school.
In the almost 20 years since 9/11 I’ve heard countless new stories of my dad and so many others. The biggest one was a group of about 12 firefighters who credit my dad with most likely saving all of their lives on September 11th by simply rescheduling a kayaking trip.

My Dad was a great man, we miss him dearly every day.