Saturday, September 9, 2006

I remember Christopher Sullivan...

Chris Sullivan sounds like an ordinary, very contented, man.

He married his high-school sweetheart, and they had two sons: Sean, aged six back in 2001, when September 11 rolled around, and Brian, aged four at the time.

Lieutenant Sullivan, 39, was a firefighter at Ladder 11 and Engine 214 in Brooklyn. A big man at 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, Sullivan wore a flat-top haircut and carried a muscular build from years of weight lifting.

"The main thing about him was that he was an excellent father," his wife said. "He'd come home after working 24 hours and the boys would want to play, and he played. He took them hiking and camping. He also did everything at home, from cooking to cleaning. We were a real team. The kids didn't have their Dad long, but they got a lot from him"

"Chris had a heart of gold, but no one pushed him around," said his dad, "which made him perfect for firefighting. He loved his job so much. We really respected the men he worked with."

Chris' brother, Robert, said Chris will be remembered as an all-around family man who cooked and cared for his sons on days he didn't have to go to the firehouse and for his positive outlook, strong faith in God and penchant for practical jokes. "Every day, he lived life to the fullest," Robert Sullivan said. "You couldn't rattle the guy that easy. He was just easygoing and enjoyed things." Robert said his brother would have been philosophical about death and the days ahead. "I think he would say we shouldn't worry about the guys who died, that God would take care of them," he added. "He would say that we need to focus on the country, stick together and do what's right."

"When all is said and done, if my brother had to do that again, he would," said Robert. "That's the kind of guy he was."

Chris was last seen September 11 racing up the stairs inside One World Trade Center with members of Engine Co. 214 to help evacuate those still inside. He is believed to have perished when the tower collapsed.

Chris had decided to grow pumpkins for the first time in 2001, and his family used the resulting produce to make pumpkin bread on Thanksgiving.

What a gaping hole was left in so many lives when Chris was taken from this world in the World Trade Center disaster. Indeed, what a loss to the world, to have someone like this man die at so young an age.


2,996 project

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your tributes to 911 are reminding us all of the great country we live in and that we should all be aware of what we have been blessed with.  Each day is a blessing and we should live well the day - tomorrow is not promised.  'On Ya' - ma

Anonymous said...

This is a wonderful tribute to Chris.  It makes me reflect on such great losses when I read such as these.  Bless you and bless Chris' family.  Penny http://journals.aol.com/firestormkids04/FromHeretoThere

Anonymous said...

A very nice tribute to one of our national heros.  We shall not forget!
Sam

Anonymous said...

I've just learned about this project.  And yours is the second tribute I've read.  Very nice. And very sad, too.

Mrs. L

Anonymous said...

God Bless YOU, Christopher Sullivan.

...and you too, missy.

xoxoxo,

andi

Anonymous said...

Beautiful tribute! As much as I want to forget that day we must never forget about the peple who were lost and their families.
Martha

Anonymous said...

Thank you for visiting my place and paying tribute to Nolbert Salomon.  

I also want to thank you for telling us about Mr. Sullivan.  Best we not forget.
♥Pam

Ramblings and Other Things
at blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful tribute. This project has been very hard because it makes you realize how short life can be and we never know when we will be taken from our loved ones. It must've been so painful for his family to lose him, but he left so much of himself behind... including the pumpkins which his family enjoyed. May God bless the families of all of the 9 11 heros!

Mandy~

Anonymous said...

Did you notice the kids' ages?  Same as my girls this year.  *shudder*  

Anonymous said...

Mel here - this is a wonderful tribute, Mosie. I gues I'm just not going to get the chance to stop bawling until I've gotten through all my friends' tributes. I haven't decided yet whether or not I'll try to read them all - it might just break my heart all over again.
At any rate, great job. Mine's up, too.

Anonymous said...

What a very sweet tribute.  You did a great job and he would be pleased and honored by it.
Kathy

Anonymous said...

As the wife of a firefighter, thank you.  Thank you for such a moving tribute to and for Christopher and his family.  Each tribute I read posted by fellow bloggers who are participating in Dale's 2,996 project have been so moving.  It's like getting to know an entire town's population: intimately.  I am blessed to be a part of this movement and to share with others who have also taken the time to help me get to know each of the 2,996 so personally.

Thank you so much.

<a href="http://3somes-for-the-week.blogspot.com/">Jimmy Audiffred: Let the Light Shine</a>.

Since the 2996 list is down due to server overload, an alternative is available through Google's cache: <a href="http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:XEm8T1uWE7kJ:www.dcroe.com/2996/%3Fpage_id%3D2+site:www.dcroe.com+challener+list+2996&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=15">click here for cache</a>.

Other tributes: <a href="http://ejourn.net/blog/2006/09/11/frederickkuojr/">Frederick Kuo Jr.</a> and <a href="http://ejourn.net/blog/2006/09/10/francisnazario/">Francis Nazario</a> as well as <a href="http://ejourn.net/blog/2006/09/11/kuo-and-nazario/">here</a>, also <a href="http://ejourn.net/journal/index.php/archives/2006/09/11/juan-salas/">Juan Salas</a>.

Please pass the candle by sharing other tributes while leaving kind words in the comments of blogs paying tribute to the 2,996 lost on September 11th.

God bless,
Kathie

Anonymous said...

So many heroes perished that day.  Thank you for the tribute.


I linked your tribute at <a href="http://plancksconstant.org/blog1/2006/09/2996_tribute_to_vict.html">2996 tribute to victims of 9/11 - Terrence E Adderley</a>

Anonymous said...

Very nice tribute. I have read some wonderful tributes in honor of the fallen. May God bless all the families.
Sugar

Anonymous said...

Mosie, this is beauitful.....we all knew someone, in one way or another, thanks for sharing......~Diane~http://journals.aol.com/dizarra/StorysFromtheCityTalesFromtheSea/

Anonymous said...

That was so beautifully done.  Thank you for introducing us to this man.
Lori

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the personal, moving tribute. Christopher was a distant cousin of mine that I never knew. Thanks to your comments, I now have a bit of insight into what a wonderful person he was. Thank you.

Anonymous said...

I remember my Uncle Chris with a great sense of humor....he always made people laugh... I have many fond memories growing up of family gatherings and remember how fun he was... now that I am older I see what a warm heart he had... My Uncle Chris is definitly someone we all miss... what I do know is we were all very lucky to have shared a part of our lives with him...he was the kind of guy you definitely would want to meet...We miss you & love you.

-Marie