The Syosset Fire Department (SFD) recently announced the passing of Ex-Captain and Honorary Ex-Chief John Cardinali. Cardinali was a charter member of the SFD's Woodbury Fire Co. No. 1 since its inception in 1942. He passed peacefully on the morning of September 3, just a few weeks short of his 100th birthday.

John Cardinali was born in a hospital in Brooklyn on September 24, 1908. John's parents, a furrier and a homemaker, were both northern Italian immigrants who met and married here in the United States, living on Tillary Street with their two sons. Like John, his parents lived long and full lives, well into their 80s.

When John was just a young boy, his older brother Stanley was diagnosed with asthma. The family doctor in Brooklyn advised the Cardinalis to move the boys out to the country, where the air was cleaner, to help Stanley with his breathing.

At the age of five, John moved with his family to Woodbury, where they had a summer home. There, the family would grow to include two more sons. Today, the former Cardinali home houses the Woodbury Deli.

John was one of many men who helped out in any way they could on the home front during the Second World War, including taking on civil defense duties in their communities. In Woodbury, a group of these men banded together in August of 1942 to form the Woodbury Fire Co. No. 1, an expansion of the Syosset Fire Department.

In preparation for the dedication of the new Station 2 a few weeks back, John shared some stories from those early days of the Woodbury Fire Co. with some of today's members. The new firehouse sits right across from John's childhood home and he was on hand to help cut the ribbon on the new facility late last month.

John spoke fondly of Woodbury's original firehouse - a two-bay garage on the property of fellow charter member Peter Demchuk - and their first fire truck - a Model A pumper. He told stories about the core group of 15-20 men who made up the company then and how when the entire group piled in the Model A to respond to an alarm, the rig would have trouble climbing hills and some of the men would have to get off the truck and help push it.

Over the years, John Cardinali rose through the ranks in the fire department, serving as Captain from 1954 to 1956 and treasurer of his company for decades, as well as 1st Deputy Chief. In honor of his many years of dedicated service, he was awarded the title of Honorary Ex-Chief.

But beyond the titles and accolades, John was a fireman first and foremost. He often told the story of the Stockholm Restaurant fire, on the site of what is now the Sagamore Steakhouse on Jericho Turnpike, where he was on the first hose line to enter the building that day. John also spent many hours and days as a chauffeur and pump operator at the famed Columbia Corrugated fire in October 1965, which burned for 5 days straight.

John was a builder and formed a construction firm with one of his brothers. They would go on to build many recognizable homes and buildings in the Syosset-Woodbury community over the years, including the Beney Funeral, where John lay in repose.

While John had a passion for firefighting and building things, the love of his life was his wife Gloria. Before they married, Gloria had to go to California with her sister Rose, where the pair would care for a handicapped child for a full year. John spent his weekends that year working on building his home at 443 Woodbury Road, so he would have a place to live with his bride upon her return. The house was his pride and joy.

When Gloria returned to Woodbury, she married John and they moved into the home they would share for the next 57 years and where John would spend his final night.