FDNY First Responder Joseph O’Toole (known as Toolie) died Monday of 9/11-related illness.
(HANDOUT)
Joseph O’Toole, a beloved FDNY figure known to many as “Toolie,” passed away at his Rockland County home surrounded by his family after a long battle with cancer.
O’Toole, 61, was based at FDNY 41 Truck for 19 years, and he arrived for his first tour at Ground Zero on his wedding anniversary — Jan. 6, 2002.
The firefighter stayed through late May, prepping his Bronx colleagues for their grim shifts digging for remains across the toxic 16-acre lower Manhattan property.
O’Toole spent his down time sailing on his boat or with his family, including his wife Christine, daughters Jeanette and Elizabeth and son Brian. The couple also had five grandkids.
He was also survived by a brother, Michael, and sisters Tricia O’Toole, Brenda Kenny and Annie Murphy.
A funeral Mass was set for 11:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Aedan’s Roman Catholic Church in Pearl River, N.Y.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations go to the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center of the FDNY Fire Family Transport Foundation.
At a ceremony this past September, the FDNY added 17 names to its grim toll of firefighters killed by 9/11 ailments — bringing the department’s official total to 144.
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