But he died Thursday doing
what everybody knew him to do best: helping a
friend.
Orlando died after a fall while helping a friend
install solar panels Thursday. He was pronounced
dead at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip.
He lent a hand to friends and coached
neighborhood kids and his own son and daughter
in sports, organizing family outings and events
on his block on Sixth Street in Hicksville like
a maestro would an orchestra.
"He was a great father," Lavelle said. "He was
the mayor of Sixth Street. He was a walking
Mardi Gras."
Added Lavelle: "He was looked upon as the guy
who organized everything."
"Tommy O," as he was nicknamed, was the life of
Engine 65 in Manhattan, where for 17 years he
brought comfort and mirth to colleagues.
"He was a great leader," said Chris LaRocca, who
served in the firehouse with Orlando. "And a
true teacher in the firehouse."
At his wake yesterday, scores of mourners
crowded into Dalton Funeral Home in Hicksville
to pay their respects. Some wore the navy blue
uniforms of the Fire Department of New York.
Orlando graduated from Levittown Division High
School. While there, he met his wife-to-be,
Nancy, with whom he raised two children, Meghan,
15, and Thomas, 11.
He went to Nassau Community College and then on
to the University of New Hampshire, which he
attended on a wrestling scholarship.
For a time, he worked as an electrician, but he
found his niche in the fire department.
Capt. Matthew Murtagh, who recalled Orlando's
bravery on Sept. 11, 2001, called Orlando his
"go-to guy."
An education fund has been set up for Orlando's
children through the FDNY foundation.
In addition to his wife and children, Orlando is
survived by his parents, Benedict and
Immaculatta Orlando; two brothers, James and
Benny; and two sisters, Victoria Lietgeb and
Jeanne Orlando; and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated today at 11
a.m. in St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church in
Hicksville. Burial will follow in the Cemetery
of the Holy Rood in Westbury.
9/11 Hero Dies While Helping a Friend
Newsday 12/9/08
In
his roles as husband, father, firefighter and friend, Thomas
Orlando of Hicksville never failed to impress, co-workers and
friends said.
The 45-year-old Levittown native who on 9/11 used his athletic
prowess to race up dozens of flights of stairs in the North
Tower of the World Trade Center on one of the nation's darkest
days seemed to be good at everything he tried.
On that fateful day, a friend said, Orlando emerged from the
rubble of the disaster, just escaping the cascading metal,
concrete and glass of the imploding edifices, and vowed to live
life more fully than he had before.
"He lived every day after that like it was a gift," said his
longtime friend, Michael Lavelle. "He loved his wife, the
community, and he loved the firehouse."
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