Remembering Dennis Carey
With the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I want to introduce you to Dennis Carey.
From all accounts, Dennis Carey loved to cook. One family member recalled that Dennis “put his heart and soul into cooking Thanksgiving dinner, and this is one tradition that we will never forget.” He had every Bon Appetit magazine going back 15 years, and insisted that recipes were to be followed exactly. No improvisations were allowed.
He was lively and fun, and devoted to his wife and children.
Before 9/11, he may have been better known for a night when he was at a Diana Ross concert in Madison Square Garden. During her performance of “Muscle”, Diana picked Dennis out of the audience and had him join her onstage. His picture was in the papers the next day.
I’ve never met Dennis, yet I’ve known him now for over 8 years, even though I met him after he died. We met on a rainy Saturday in June 2013, when I participated in a firefighter obstacle run. This was a firefighter charity event, and my team ran in the 343 Charity Wave, a heat dedicated to firefighters lost on 9/11, with each runner wearing a commemorative racer bib listing the name of a firefighter who lost his life.
Dennis M. Carey.
As a firefighter, in 2001 Dennis was a 20-year Fire Department veteran who was planning to retire the following January when the alarm sounded, and he and other firefighters sped to the Twin Towers. His body was found on September 30 in a stairwell in Tower One where he and his chief were trapped as they were rescuing survivors.
I was humbled and proud to participate in the 343 Wave and wear Dennis M. Carey’s name on my chest. Thank you for reading and taking the time to learn his story.
