New York’s Staten Island. The oldest surviving retired member of New York’s Bravest has passed away. FDNY authorities said on Saturday that Anthony Aquaro has passed away at the age of 103.
The citizen of Rossville was born on February 27, 1921, in Brooklyn.
He served as a first-class boatswain’s mate on the USS Impulse and the USS Kingsmill during World War II, 1942–1945.In 1944, while on leave at home, he married the love of his life, Gloria.
In order to provide for his family after returning from World War II, Aquaro took on a variety of jobs. He took on innumerable jobs, including loading freight in Secaucus, N.J., and working in a paper bag factory.
At the age of 31, Aquaro would later take the FDNY firefighter oath in 1953. He served 26 years with Brooklyn’s Union Street Engine 269 unit.
On December 16, 1960, Aquaro was at work when a TWA Lockheed L-1049 Super Constellation descending toward LaGuardia Airport collided in midair with a United Airlines Douglas DC-8 headed for Idlewild Airport (now John F. Kennedy International Airport).
All 128 persons on board the two aircraft and six people on the ground were killed when the Constellation crashed on Miller Field in New Dorpand and the DC-8 in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
After relocating to New Dorp in 1965, the Aquaros had two children. They went on to become great-grandparents to eight children and grandparents to four.
Wealth is my greatest blessing, Aquaro remarked. The riches that comes from having a lovely and devoted family with children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews is more valuable than money.
During a birthday celebration last year, Aquaro told the Advance/SILive.com that the key to a good marriage is to never dispute with one another.
At a time when you least expect Cupid’s arrow to strike and find its mark, Gloria was 14 and I was 16 when we first met in high school. At first sight, it was love. The baseball team I played for lost a lot of games. And I was so happy after we won our first game that I inquired whether I would get a kiss. She also claimed that I was new. She eventually made amends, and we started dating.
In a social media post, the Uniformed Fire Officers Association recalled Aquaro, who passed away on Friday, as a fireman who made a lasting impression on the FDNY and everyone he knew.
The Casey McCallum Rice Funeral Home in Great Kills will host a wake on Monday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m.
Resurrection Cemetery in Pleasant Plains will be the final resting place after a funeral service Tuesday at 11:00 at St. Clare’s church in Great Kills.
On Sunday, February 25, 2024, Gloria Aquaro celebrates her husband Anthony’s 103rd birthday at Engine 168, EMS Station 23 in Rossville. (The Staten Island Advance’s Owen Reiter)Reiter, Owen
+ There are no comments
Add yours