Cherry, Vernon

Vernon Cherry, Lad.118 THE WEDDING SINGER It is the singing, more than anything else, that keeps Vernon Cherry so vivid in their minds. A Brooklyn firefighter who moonlighted as a wedding singer, Mr. Cherry, 49, sang it all and he sang it everywhere: Barry White in the firehouse, Frank Sinatra at weddings, the national anthem at Fire Department promotion ceremonies. “He would just sing,” said Raymond Thomas, a firefighter who worked with him for 11 years at Ladder Company 118 in Brooklyn Heights. “He would be walking up the stairs, in the locker room, taking a shower. He had such a beautiful voice. I used to ask him: ‘Sing me a song, Vernon. Vernon, sing ‘Always and Forever.’ He wouldn’t do the whole song, just short bits and pieces.” Mr. Cherry, a 28-year veteran of the Fire Department, was known at Ladder 118 as “Vernon Mo,” because he called everybody else “Mo.” And there was his lasagna, “Lasagna Mo.” “He put mushrooms in it,” Mr. Thomas said. “He used every pot in the firehouse. We tried to discourage him from cooking. I mean we loved it, but he had to use every pot in the house.” Vernon Paul Cherry‚ 49‚ firefighter‚ FDNY‚ Ladder 118. During his 29 years on the job‚ Cherry made a name for himself. He was an outstanding vocalist who sang at official firefighter functions and joined his band to entertain at social events. Almost 50‚ he was planning to retire at the end of 2001. A father of three‚ he was also a longtime court reporter and well known in the halls of justice. As a black firefighter‚ he helped bridge racial barriers. He was just a terrific guy. October 10, 1951–September 11, 2001 BORN IN: Queens, New York LIVED IN: New York City, New York