Thousands of firefighters, NYC mayor mourn 'hero' Jesse Gerhard at funeral on LI

At the funeral for fallen FDNY firefighter Jesse B. Gerhard, where thousands of fellow firefighters lined the street in tribute outside a Bay Shore church Wednesday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams remembered the Islip native as a hero who committed his life to serving others.

"We gather today to mourn this hero, this young man, this child, who committed and dedicated his life to the people of this city," Adams said. "We salute his courage, his commitment and dedication. And we knew that he selflessly provided his service to the city. He loved being a firefighter. It’s all he wanted to do, was to be a firefighter, to find his purpose. Never wavered and never lost his commitment and dedication."

Gerhard, 33, a member of Ladder 134 in Far Rockaway, Queens, who also served as a volunteer firefighter in Islip for 13 years, died last week — a day after he helped battle a two-alarm fire in Far Rockaway. He had suffered an undisclosed "medical episode," officials said, and his cause of death has yet to be determined.

His coffin, draped in the red and white FDNY flag, was taken to St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church on a Ladder 134 firetruck adorned with blue and black bunting and the message "In loving memory of FF Jesse Gerhard."

Members of the FDNY's Emerald Society Pipes and Drums marched while playing "Amazing Grace." The uniformed mass of firefighters lining Main Street snapped to attention as the procession slowly moved along. At times, the only sound that could be heard were flags whipping in the wind and a drone buzzing high above.

Nine fellow firefighters carried Gerhard's coffin from the back of the firetruck, along a walkway flanked by American flags, a favorite banner of Gerhard's, into the church. His family, including his father Bruce, mother Lynn and older brother Casey, followed close behind, holding on to each other.

In a series of eulogies during the service, family members, friends and colleagues, at times in tears, memorialized Gerhard. He was a highly skilled carpenter who learned the craft of woodworking from his father. A quiet but respected presence inside the firehouse, Gerhard was lauded for his mechanical abilities and known to sometimes flash a sly smile and crack a joke. He was a beloved son, brother and loving uncle and godfather to his niece and nephew.

Gerhard donated his organs, the mayor said, in a final act of giving.

"I can't explain how proud I was of you, how you lived out your dreams and you inspired me every day," Gerhard's sister-in-law Kristi Gerhard said, sobbing while reading the words of his brother Casey.

In the footsteps of family

Like so many who join the firefighting profession, Gerhard was following in the footsteps of family. His great-grandfather had served in the FDNY as a captain in Queens, said FDNY acting Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, who relayed stories of Gerhard's private life from his family, including his mother, who recalled Gerhard's infatuation with the fire service as a toddler.

"At the tender age of only 2, Jesse would strut around the house with his great-grandfather’s seasoned leather helmet atop his head," Kavanagh said. "By the time Jesse turned 4, Bruce would find himself searching high and low for a bunker coat small enough to fit his little man. The purchase of a new bunker coat became an annual event. As Jesse grew, so did his desire to be a firefighter."

Gerhard, an FDNY firefighter since 2018 who previously worked for the city as an emergency medical technician, split his time between Islip and Long Beach and also was a volunteer firefighter at the Islip Fire Department since 2009.

Andrew Ansbro, president of the FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association, which represents the 20,000 active and retired rank-and-file firefighters, said in a statement: "The hearts of FDNY Firefighters, and all New Yorkers, break for the family of Firefighter Jesse Gerhard as they mourn his loss.

"Today, we lay to rest a hero who gave his life for the safety of this City and this Department. His sacrifice will be eternally remembered by all those who knew him, served this Department alongside him, and all those who were kept safe by his actions. May he rest in peace."

Lt. James McCarthy, president of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association, the union representing roughly 8,000 active and retired FDNY members of the rank of lieutenant and above, said the large presence of firefighters was a display of "camaraderie to the family that we care about Jesse" in an interview before the service began.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison were among the mourners.

Helen Thompson, a St. Patrick's parishioner who didn't know Gerhard, attended the funeral at the request of her father, a retired FDNY firefighter who lives in Virginia.

"When you grow up in the family of firefighters, it still is family," Thompson said with tears in her eyes. "It still strikes home."

'The greatest job in the world'

FDNY Capt. Kevin Jansen, of Engine 236 in Brooklyn who is also a member of the Islip Fire Department, described attending community college with Gerhard, his "best friend," and later going through the fire academy together.

At age 19, Gerhard moved to Vermont to teach snowboarding, Jansen said. He tearfully recalled his friend as a "perfectionist" at the myriad trades he practiced, like carpentry and welding, and his enthusiasm for the fire service, waking up for work at 4 a.m.

At Ladder 134, where Gerhard had worked since the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020, FDNY firefighter Michael Ormiston, the senior member there, said Gerhard was "the bridge" between the younger and older firefighters at the station house.

"The funny thing is, as a senior member, I was supposed to be teaching Jesse, but in reality, he was teaching me," Ormiston said. "And with that sly grin of his, he would often joke to me and say, 'See, you can teach an old dog new tricks.'"

As attendees shuffled out of the church, the sun shined as the song "On Eagle's Wings" played. A police helicopter flyover, including one from Suffolk police, roared in the sky.

Firefighters saluted as Gerhard's coffin was carried outside, and the pipes and drums band played "America the Beautiful."

Ormiston, during his eulogy, said Gerhard was someone who simply loved his profession.

"Even when we had bad days," Ormiston said, "he would say, 'How can I complain? I have the greatest job in the world.'"

By Brinley Hineman

brinley.hineman@newsday.com,nicole.fuller@newsday.com

Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.