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Fire Department captain buried as area continues to grieve World Trade Center victims
Thursday, Oct. 4, 2001
 
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AP Photo
Beth Petrone-Hatton, background left, follows the casket of her husband, New York City Fire Dept. Capt. Terence Hatton, as it is taken from New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral after his funeral. Hatton, 41, was remembered at a filled-to-capacity funeral Mass as a hero and a role model for his unborn child and for the nation. His wife only discovered she was pregnant after the World Trade Center attack that took Hatton's life.
By LARRY McSHANE
Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK – The flap-draped casket rode atop a lone firetruck Thursday, taking Capt. Terence Hatton past his two families – his fellow firefighters and his pregnant wife, carrying the child he will never hold.

Hatton, 41, was remembered at a funeral Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral on Fifth Avenue as a hero and role model for both his unborn child and the nation. His wife did not discover she was pregnant until after Hatton died in the rescue effort at the World Trade Center.

"Terry looked like Gary Cooper – until he put on a fire helmet," recalled Timothy Brown, a longtime friend and the supervisor of the city Office of Emergency Management. "Then he looked better."

The 6-foot-4 Hatton, the son of a retired New York fire captain, was praised by President Bush in a letter read at the service. He was eulogized by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani; Hatton's wife, Beth Petrone-Hatton, has worked as Giuliani's personal assistant for 17 years, and Giuliani officiated at the Hattons' wedding at the mayoral mansion in 1998.

"I've known many, many fine men in my life, and eulogized too many," the mayor said. "Terry Hatton really stood out. He is the kind of man I would like my son to grow up and become."

Hatton and six brother firefighters were remembered on Thursday. On Friday, 18 services were scheduled for uniformed members killed when the twin towers collapsed.

The standing-room-only crowd inside St. Patrick's included rescue workers and firefighters from across the country.

Hatton earned 19 citations for bravery in 21 years on the job. He was captain of Rescue 1, one of the department's elite units. Eleven of its 26 members perished at the Trade Center; the bodies of Hatton and Rescue 1 co-worker Michael Montesi were found side by side on Sept. 28.

At the end of the Mass, Hatton's widow left clutching her husband's fire helmet. His 4-year-old godson, Conor, carried Hatton's white dress hat as they climbed silently into a black car.

Two Fire Department drummers, pounding a simple, mournful beat, led a procession down Fifth Avenue as firefighters in dress blues stood at attention, saluting their lost comrade.

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