Farrelly, Joseph

Capt. Joseph Farrelly, Div.1 Joseph D. Farrelly Fireman Nurtured Kids, Kept Romance Alive February 8, 2002 He seemed like a man who knew life was precious. His work as a firefighter let him see upfront the tenuous link between life and death. Perhaps that’s why Capt. Joseph Farrelly, 47, left behind such a legacy of love. Children at Public School 3 in Staten Island knew him as “Fireman Joe,” who came to their school to teach them about fire safety. Dozens of foster babies, drug-addicted at birth, felt his kind touch and reassuring words. His wife, Stacey, has boxfuls of romantic notes and cards to remind her of his love for her and the children, sent through their 25 years together. Stacey Farrelly said her husband left her love notes and roses throughout their marriage, and not just on Valentine’s Day or their anniversary. She would find these missives, filled with his heartfelt thoughts, on a sticky note on the dashboard of her car or on the back of a receipt on the kitchen table in their Staten Island home. Stacey found what was to be the last love note when she got home Sept.11, a final testament to their life together. Farrelly, who was with Engine Co. 4 on South Street in Manhattan, was believed to be in a tower lobby when the building collapsed. Farrelly’s body has not been found. A memorial service was held Oct. 15. His love for his children was evident in the time he spent with them, either at Little League games, the Boy Scouts or at home. His oldest son, Ryan, 20, said his father was an easygoing man. “Never argued, never cursed, never got angry,” he said. Ryan’s childhood memories include camping trips with his parents, his brother Devin, 18, and their sister Julianne, 11, where they were taught to live in harmony with nature. “He liked to go anyplace where it was relaxed,” said Ryan. Farrelly and his wife also were foster parents to many drug-addicted babies over the years. In 1986, his wife said, she and her husband were watching a TV show on “border” babies who were addicted to drugs and needed stable environments. “I turned to Joe and said, ‘We can do that. We can take a baby.'” For the next seven years, the Farrellys took in newborns and nursed them through their addictions, returning them after six months to foster or adoptive parents. Stacey Farrelly said her husband loved the babies. “He used to like doing the nighttimes,” his wife said. “He would talk to them and tell them not to worry, that they would have a good life.” — Stacey Altherr (Newsday) ——————————————————————————– Firefighter Left Love Notes For Wife Nov. 29, 2001 “I can’t begin to tell you how much I love you. Words are inadequate,” Joseph D. Farrelly wrote on Sept. 10 before embarking on a 24-hour shift. That would be the last of many love notes the 47-year-old Staten Island man would write to his wife, Stacey, before leaving for work as a New York City firefighter at Engine Co. 4 at the South Street Seaport. His family believes his company was one of the first to respond to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11. He never came home. Surviving in addition to his wife are two sons, Ryan and Devin; a daughter, Juliann; his parents, Joseph and Theresa, and three brothers, Dennis, Patrick and Michael. –Compiled by Newsday ******* Capt. Joseph Farrelly was romantic -— and proudof it. Married to Stacey Farrelly for more than 22 years, he still left love notes on her pillow oron the seat of her car. Often, they were accompanied by flowers. So before Farrelly went to work for what would be the last time, he wrote Stacey one finalnote. “I can’t begin to tell you how much I love you. Words are inadequate. Already I can’t wait toget home,” he wrote. Farrelly, 47, of New York, is among 343 firefighters lost in the World Trade Center attacks. A 22-year veteran of the department, Farrelly had faced danger at the World Trade Centerbefore, hospitalized for smoke inhalation after it was bombed in 1993. But he loved his job. “That’s all he ever wanted to do,” Stacey Farrelly said. As for the frequent love notes, “I kind of thought everybody did this,” she said. She’s kept them all. The last note he wrote is now framed in their home. –The Associated Press