9/11 Fire Chief Finally Gets Funeral 15 Years Later, A Twist Of His Own Generosity
A New York City fire chief finally received his proper funeral this week 15 years after he was killed during the 9/11 attacks.
The beautiful twist of the story, the funeral was finally able to happen because of one of his own selfless acts.
Batallion chief Lawrence T. Stack was 58-years-old when he died. He’d spent 33 years fighting fires.
The New York Times reports Chief Stack died a hero rescuing countless other firefighters and civilians as the World Trade Center collapsed. His coat was found. His remains never were.
Stack was among the 127 members of the NYFD whose remains were never found.
His family has waited for 15 years, not just for closure, but to give him a funeral.
They’ve waited, hoping some remains would be found.
Those prayers were answered in a very unexpected way.
The family recently learned Chief Stack had donated blood to a bone marrow registry weeks before he died.
He donated in honor of a little boy who was fighting cancer.
Turns out, the registry still had that sample. So, the family was able to go ahead with a full Catholic funeral mass.
His own funeral finally made possible because of the chief’s own generous act.
The FDNY made sure Friday’s ceremony was with the proper respect the chief deserved.
One side note, a modern twist–
My husband came across this story, news of the funeral in progress, as he scanned information from the security software his company has created.
It’s called VCore Solutions fourDscape software.
It’s an amazing, next generation security and surveillance software that is changing the way cities stay and industries stay safe.
It will be an invaluable tool as heroes like Chief Stack respond to emergencies in the future.
Here’s what caught my husband’s attention.
This screenshot captured on VCore Solutions fourDscape software platform shows a window with information on Chief Stack’s funeral in progress. The inverted cones throughout the screen show other incidents and events taking place around New York City. The boxes to the left are live camera feeds. The boxes to the right show the array of information this system ingests and analyzes creating an invaluable tool for first responders and industry.
It’s a software platform that goes beyond basic cameras. It connects and analyzes cameras, sensors, devices, and data.
This is a little bit more on how fourDscape works.
Thank you for allowing me my proud wife moment. I just think it’s pretty incredible this guy I call my husband is working to make the world a safer place.
I share more about him in my book,
