Friends, family bid farewell to Nassau cop who took joy in serving others
Nassau County Police Officer Matthew Perlungher found his greatest joy in service to others.
Whether dressing as an oversize elf at Christmas to distribute toys to needy children, serving in the U.S. Navy or rushing to Ground Zero nearly 20 years ago, Perlungher was always there for others.
Even when his son Jack died tragically in 2010 — a month shy of his sixth birthday — from a rare form of kidney cancer, Perlungher found new purpose, raising money to eradicate the deadly disease.
On Wednesday, Perlungher's friends, family and comrades in blue packed Garden City Community Church to say their final goodbye to the fallen officer, who died Aug. 4 after a four-month battle with cancer, an illness linked to the toxic dust and air in lower Manhattan following the Sept. 11 attacks.
The Merrick resident was 50.
Nassau Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder called Perlungher a "hero" as he posthumously promoted him to detective first grade.
"You have to know how much your dad has meant to this world," Ryder told Perlungher's 19-year-old daughter, Emma. "In a place of craziness he would bring calm. In anger he would bring peace. Where there was hatred he would bring love and service. He is the definition of what service means."
Hundreds of members of the Nassau and Suffolk police departments, the NYPD and local law enforcement agencies stood at attention on Stewart Avenue as a pipe band procession and motorcycles ushered the hearse carrying Perlungher's flag-draped coffin.
Roads throughout the neighborhood were closed to traffic as residents walking their dogs and pushing strollers saluted the man known to friends and family as "Matty."
Loved ones described the East Rockaway native, who served 24 years in the Nassau Police Department, as a "big kid" who loved Disney World, playing video games, completing puzzles and "Star Wars."
"You are everything I want to be and more," said Emma Perlungher. "You are genuine, selfless and a kind soul and would do anything for anyone."
Erika and daughter Emma Perlungher watch with emotion as a flyover soars near the Garden City Community Church after the service for Matthew Perlungher in Garden City Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Matthew Perlungher earned as associate degree from Nassau Community College before joining the Navy in 1991, serving in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq.
After receiving an honorable discharge in 1993, Perlungher obtained a degree from Utah Valley State College and served in the state's National Guard. He joined the Nassau Police Department in 1998, serving nine years in the Fifth Precinct and another five years as a police flight medic with the Marine and Aviation Bureau.
On Sept. 11, 2001, Perlungher rushed to the World Trade Center, where he would spend a combined 85 hours through late October on the rescue and recovery operations.
Tragedy struck in 2010 when Jack was diagnosed with cancer. The boy endured chemotherapy and surgery to remove a kidney. But the cancer was aggressive and spread to Jack's lungs.
On Sept. 13, 2010, Jack died at home in his father's arms. His funeral was held in the same Garden City church where Matthew Perlungher would be remembered Wednesday.
The church was filled for the service for Nassau County Police Officer Matthew A. Perlungher at the Garden City Community Church Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
"For some, such a tragedy could break a man," said the Rev. Bonnie McDougall Olson, the church's minister. "But for Matt his heart grew richer."
To keep his son's legacy alive, the family created a charity to help other families dealing with rare diseases.
"He lived every single day for my brother. He lived every single day for us," said Emma Perlungher. "And now I think we have to live every single day for him."
Matthew Perlungher soon switched roles within the department, becoming athletic director of a Police Athletic League in Hempstead. He also ran the countywide youth lacrosse program.
"He turned people's lives around," said County Executive Laura Curran. "We may never know the … positivity that will continue to ripple out because of his work and because of his service."
Erika Perlungher, a Nassau police communications operator since 2006, said her husband was a sports fanatic who played golf, softball and hockey. But he also loved simple pleasures such as reading a book in his hammock or camping under the stars.
"He loved being in the woods," she said. "He said it made him feel closer to Jack with the peacefulness of nature."
Holding back tears, Erika Perlungher offered a final message to her husband: "I will love you forever. I miss you terribly. Please watch over all of us and keep us safe."
Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.
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