Tobay Beach wall adds names of 4 more lost to 9/11 illnesses

Eleven years have passed since FDNY Lt. Patrick J. Sullivan died of leukemia related to his time at Ground Zero. On Thursday night, with the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks approaching, Sullivan's wife, Patricia, was ready to finally have his memory forever honored at Tobay Beach.

The name Patrick J. Sullivan, from FDNY Ladder Truck 58 in the Bronx, was added to a memorial wall at the beach to those first responders from Oyster Bay who have died from 9/11-related illnesses. The event also paid tribute to the Oyster Bay residents killed in the attacks.

“We spent a lot of time at the beach and my husband loved to be on the water,” said Patricia Sullivan, of Massapequa Park. “It means so much to have his name on the wall. I waited a long time. This is special.”

Her husband was among about two-thirds of first responders who developed long-term illness related to debris after the Twin Towers collapsed.

Officials also dedicated the names of NYPD Officer Gerard James Coggins Sr., 53, of Old Bethpage, who died in January; Port Authority employee Carmen “Rick” Sorvillo, 73, of Massapequa, who died in 2020: and NYC Sanitation worker George Thomas, 89, of Massapequa, who died in 2016. After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Thomas had been on a boat, hauling debris to a landfill on Staten Island. 

The latest names bring to 44 the number of Oyster Bay residents to die as a result of illnesses contracted at Ground Zero.

A separate memorial wall lists about 100 names of residents killed during the attacks.

Mourners left white carnations at the two memorial walls, where their loved ones’ names were etched in stone.

Both walls were lit in red white and blue. The Nassau County Emerald Society Pipes and Drums played "Amazing Grace."

“Tonight, we gather as one town family to honor our loved ones lost 22 years ago,” Oyster Bay Councilwoman Michele Johnson. “Time has not yet healed all wounds and perhaps it never will, but we never forgot your loved ones and honor their sacrifice."

Relatives read the names listed on the walls. As the sun set, a beam of light could be seen shooting skyward — a symbol of the towers.

Nancy Cain of Holbrook clutched a smiling photo of her brother, FDNY firefighter George Cain, who grew up in Massapequa and responded to the towers with Ladder 7.

“That day was confusing and overwhelming, filled with disbelief and anxiety. We didn't know for days exactly what was happening. We called hospital asking if they had a patient brought in,” Cain said. “Days later, we came to the realization it wasn't going to be a rescue anymore.” 

George Cain's station, was out on an early morning call when they responded to the Marriott near the towers. He and his fire crew were trapped when the South Tower collapsed and struck the hotel and debris smashed into the hotel, said Cain, who was joined at the ceremony by her mother, Rosemary Cain. 

“Sometimes it seems unbelievable it's been 23 years it never gets easier,” Rosemary Cain said. “It gets difficult to face the anniversary each year and after all this time, it’s unbelievable this happened in our country.”

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.