When St. Clare’s of Staten Island opens its doors this Thursday morning, its pews will be filled by New York’s Bravest. They will be there to celebrate the life of Lt. Matt Ambelas.
Lt. Ambelas died Sunday after he was trapped in a burning Brooklyn high-rise while doing what firefighters do: risking their lives to spare others from danger. The lieutenant was the first FDNY firefighter in two years to die in the line of duty.
He leaves behind a loving wife, Nanette, and two daughters, 8-year-old Gabriella and 5-year-old Giavanna. To ensure these girls will have the opportunities their father hoped for them, the FDNY Foundation has started the Lt. Gordon “Matt” Ambelas Children’s Education Fund.
Nothing can replace the father these girls have lost — or soothe the ache in their hearts. We pray they will someday have the consolation of knowing their father chose a life dedicated to saving life.
From his service on 9/11 at the World Trade Center to his rescue just two months ago of a boy who got his head stuck in a rolled-up gate, the ethos of Lt. Ambelas can be summed up in three words: Service over self.
And this is the real monument to this brave lieutenant. Not some metal plaque or carved stone but all those New Yorkers who live today because of the dangerous work this good man did so well and so faithfully. Lt. Matt Ambelas, RIP.