Pete Carroll, 42 (SNYT)
They called him "Pete the Painter." Pete Carroll was really a firefighter.
But, he painted apartments to make ends meet. In fact, he walked into ToniAnn's life eight years ago and laid two coats of beige paint.
He had 19 years on the fire department. One more, and they were off to retirement in California. They depended upon each other, but last January, Ms. Carroll came to depend upon him in profound ways. She fell ill with a neurological disorder with no cure.
Mr. Carroll, of course, began to cook for his wife, carrying her to bed and such. This summer, on the hottest day of the year, he came home to Staten Island from the Squad firehouse to find her in the backyard, frozen in a chair in the blazing sun. He saw that and wept.
"I had a beautiful firemen to rescue me," Ms. Carroll said. "Now I don't want to move at all." In a contorted way, Mr. Carroll is one of the lucky survivors. She has received his ashes and wedding band. |
