Dennis Heedles, FDNY firefighter, first responder on 9/11, dies of cancer at 56

By Staten Island Advance
on October 14, 2015 at 6:10 PM, updated October 14, 2015 at 6:15 PM

Dennis Heedles, 2015Family Photo

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Dennis J. Heedles Sr., 56, of New Dorp, a retired FDNY firefighter and steadfast family man, died Saturday in Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital, Manhattan, of complications of lung cancer.
Mr. Heedles was a first responder at Ground Zero on 9/11 and also worked tirelessly in the recovery effort.
Born in Brooklyn, he moved with his family to New Dorp as an infant and remained in that community.
He graduated from New Dorp High School.
Mr. Heedles had a 20-year career with the FDNY and loved being a firefighter. He retired in 2002 from Ladder Co. 76 in Tottenville.
He loved spending time with his family and grandchildren. He especially had enjoyed watching his sons play football at New Dorp High School and in Staten Island Pee Wee Football. And he enjoyed being an uncle to his nieces and nephews.
Mr. Heedles could build or fix anything, his family said. He often volunteered to help family and friends with their home projects.
Described as kind and loyal, he was a gentle "teddy bear," his family said. Generous and caring, he was always willing to help someone in need. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him, they added.
Mr. Heedles was a parishioner of St. Charles R.C. Church, Oakwood.
Surviving are his wife of 33 years, Veronica; his sons, Dennis Jr., Thomas and Erik; his daughter, Allison Spagnuolo; his mother, Stella Heedles; his brothers, Edward and Bobby; his sisters, Nancy Wright and Karen Ferrari, and a granddaughter.
The funeral will be Friday from the Hanley Funeral Home, New Dorp, with a Mass at 10:15 a.m. in St. Charles Church. Burial will follow in Ocean View Cemetery, Oakwood.