On the right, Brockport, N.Y. resident Michele Walsh presents patches to Owego Fire Department Chief Dan Gavin on Monday, July 27 in honor of first responders and others who lost their lives on 9/11. Michele’s “Ride to Remember,” is a weeklong bicycle tour that originated in Buffalo, N.Y. on July 25, with multiple stops in N.Y., Pa. and N.J., and concluded at the Freedom Tower in New York City and her native Seaford, N.Y. on Aug. 1. Also pictured are, from left, Cara Jones, Kaleb Ellis, Village Trustee Earl Hartman, Kristen Johnson and Ron Gregg. (Photos by JoAnn R. Walter)
From left, Chrissie Irish, Keith Reynolds, Michele Walsh, Kristen Johnson, Ron Gregg, Cara Jones and Steve Tauriello pose in front of the Owego Fire Department on North Avenue. Michele was joined by Irish and Tauriello for leg three of her “Ride to Remember,” a weeklong bicycle tour which originated in Buffalo N.Y. and concluded in New York City and Seaford, N.Y. in honor of first responders and others who lost their lives on 9/11. Owego was the rest stop for leg three of the tour.
Patches in honor of FDNY personnel who lost their lives on 9/11 were presented to Owego Fire Department Chief, Dan Gavin from Michele Walsh, who rode a weeklong bicycle tour, “Ride to Remember,” from Buffalo to Seaford, N.Y.
Owego, N.Y. was the rest stop on Monday, July 27, for Brockport, N.Y. resident Michele Walsh and two companions riding with her on the third leg of “Michele’s Ride to Remember” bicycle tour.
The weeklong ride, which originated in Buffalo, N.Y. on July 25, concluded in Seaford, N.Y. (Long Island) on Aug. 1. A tribute bicycle ride in honor of individuals and first responders who lost their lives on 9/11, the “Ride to Remember” also recognized military personnel who have lost their lives in the war on terrorism since.
Michele’s journey connects the Western New York Iraq/Afghanistan Memorial in Buffalo, to the Brockport 9/11 Memorial, with a stop at the Freedom Tower in New York City, the Towers of Freedom Park in Massapequa, N.Y., and concluded at the Seaford 9/11 Memorial.
Nearly everyone can remember where they were on Sept. 11, 2001. Three weeks prior to 9/11, Michele left her native Seaford and settled in Brockport, with a goal of continuing her degree in education. Attending school hundreds of miles away from the World Trade Center attacks, Walsh felt helpless and longing for home on 9/11.
Since then, as a way to give back, she has participated in other events and fundraisers dedicated in memory of lives lost, which includes organizing the “Ride to Remember.” Proceeds from her ride will be donated to the Seaford 9/11 Memorial fund.
Five alumni from Walsh’s high school lost their lives on 9/11, including two brothers, Tommy and Timmy Haskell, both firefighters, and John Perry, NYPD; two other Seaford High graduates, Robert Sliwak and Michael Wittenstein, worked at Cantor Fitzgerald. Tommy, a Battalion Chief with Ladder 132, went with his men into the South Tower; his body was never recovered. Timmy, off duty that day, lost his life on the 60th floor of One World Trade Center. Walsh was in the same Seaford high school graduating class with Timmy Haskell and Wittenstein.
Each leg of the tribute ride through New York, Pennsylvania and New Jersey was symbolic and included several rest stops. The first leg of the ride was dedicated to the 72 Western New Yorkers who gave their lives serving our country since 9/11. The second part of the journey, July 26-31, was in honor of the 343 FDNY firefighters lost when the twin towers fell.
Walsh and other companions riding with her stopped at fire departments at the end of each leg. In Owego, Walsh presented Owego Fire Chief Dan Gavin with two FDNY patches, one of which honors brothers Tommy and Timmy Haskell. Owego Fire personnel, Village Trustee Earl Hartman, and several family members, friends and supporters were present to welcome Walsh and her riding companions to Owego.
For more information, visit www.ridetoremember.jimdo.com or find “Michele’s Ride to Remember” on Facebook.
