Names of Long Islanders among 11 added to NY firefighter memorial

Doris L. Groene was a longtime medic for Great Neck’s fire department who volunteered at Ground Zero and died in 2017 of a 9/11-related cancer. John “Jack” A. Bradley of the West Islip Fire Department was directing traffic on the Robert Moses Causeway when he fell to the ground and hurt his head in 2018 — and died of his injuries in 2020.

The two were among 11 personnel — several from Long Island — who were memorialized in Albany on Tuesday at the 25th Annual New York State Fallen Firefighters Memorial Ceremony at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center.

The 11 names — of 10 men and one woman — were added to the memorial, which recognizes 2,631 people.

Along with Groene and Bradley, others from the Island memorialized included Stanley J. May of the Roslyn Highlands Hook & Ladder, Engine & Hose Co. and Guy J. Romano of the Westbury Fire Department.

Details of Groene’s death were described in a 2017 article in the Great Neck Record. Groene, 77 when she died, had moved to Mesquite, Nevada, according to a posting on a funeral home website. She was one of the first women with the department.

Details about Bradley were in a news release from his department, with which he had served for nearly 31 years.

Dedicated in 1998, the memorial is meant to pay tribute to the state’s more than 100,000 active firefighters, according to the news release. Last year, firefighters responded to more than 1.5 million incidents.

"Today we honor 11 firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our communities," Gov. Kathy Hochul said in the release. "We remember these New Yorkers as selfless individuals with unwavering dedication to keeping us safe. We will never forget these heroes, and we stand with their grieving loved ones today and every day. New York is a better place because of their service."

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.