Notes for Stephen G Siller

Family Group Sheet

Notes for Stephen G Siller

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — On Sept. 11 Stephen Siller was driving to meet his three older brothers at the Glenwood Country Club Golf Course in New Jersey, so the "perfect foursome" could play a round of golf. A fire buff even before he joined the Fire Department, the West Brighton native was listening to his scanner when news of the World Trade Center disaster came across. He called his wife, Sally, telling her to let his brothers know he would meet them later; he was going to get his gear and join his company, Squad 1.

According to his brother, Frank, his family has pieced together the details of Stephen's final actions. They believe he drove his own car from Squad 1's Brooklyn firehouse to the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel, where traffic was at a standstill. He probably ran through the tunnel and was picked up by Engine 224, and after arriving at the disaster site most likely hooked up with his squad. Mr. Siller and 10 other members of Squad 1 did not survive.

Being a firefighter was the 34-year-old's lifelong dream, one he realized in 1995. After graduating from the Fire Academy, he worked in rotation for three years at Engine Co. 10, Manhattan; Ladder Co. 153, Brooklyn and Engine Co. 153, Staten Island.

osted September 8, 2005
By Jacquie Rath
The Siller family is among those struggling to put their lives back together. Stephen Siller was a fireman with Squad 1 in Park Slope, Brooklyn. He was off duty and on his way to enjoy a day of golf with his older brothers when his scanner announced the details of the Trade Center attacks. He turned around and drove back to his Brooklyn station house.
When Siller learned that on-duty personnel had already departed for ground zero, he grabbed 75 pounds of gear and continued the drive into lower Manhattan. When he reached the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and realized that traffic stopped moving, he abandoned his truck and ran through the tunnel, wearing his gear. As he neared the towers he was picked up by fellow firefighters and dropped off at Liberty and West Streets. The 34-year-old Rockville Centre resident was never seen alive again.
As the dust began to settle, the Siller family began to piece together the last few minutes of Stephen's life. The shock of his untimely death and the surrounding circumstances catapulted those who knew him into a painful pool of sadness and grief. He left behind a wife, Sally, and their five children, six brothers and sisters, many nieces and nephews and countless friends.
Stephen was the youngest of the Siller children. He lost both of his parents by the time he was 10. After being orphaned, he moved to Rockville Centre where he was raised by his oldest brother, Russell, and his wife. After graduating from St. Agnes in 1984, he joined the New York City Fire Department and began to realize his dream of being a firefighter.
Russell described his younger sibling as having "an indomitable spirit, and incredible vitality." And, as he reflected on Stephen's personality, he added, "he was full of love and compassion."
Robert Vogt, Siller's nephew, is also a NYC firefighter and was searching for survivors - including his uncle - after the disaster. "He was wonderful, generous and extremely unselfish. He was always there for me, said Vogt. "Stephen always worked out with such ferocity. He told me "you never know when your training could mean the difference between saving someone's life [and not]". I lost an uncle who was my brother on the job."
Siller's siblings struggled with an appropriate way to memorialize their brother. "Our response to losing Stephen was to rally around him in death as we had throughout his life," said Russell. Out of the ashes of tragedy, the Stephen Siller 'Let Us Do Good' Children's Foundation was born.
Beginning in 2002, on the last Sunday of September, the foundation sponsors the annual Tunnel to Towers Run, retracing Siller's path through the Battery Tunnel to the World Trade Center towers. One hundred percent of the over $1 million raised so far, has been donated to burn centers, N.Y. Foundling Hospital, children who have lost a parent serving in the military and scholarships to people in need. Even in death, Siller continues to rescue people in need.
A Siller cousin, Russell Hodge, watched the transformation of grief turn into a purposeful life mission for the family. Hodge is president and founder of 3 Roads Communications, and an Emmy-award-winning producer. He thought Siller's saga had "all the elements of a great story... good versus evil, a defining decision, and doing the right thing in the face of danger." In his struggle to figure out what life would be without Siller, Hodge used his talents to make a documentary about Siller's story.
According to Hodge, when he pitched the idea of a documentary to his staff "they loved it right from the start." The process took more than a year to produce. 3 Roads filmed on site at last year's run, at ground zero and interviewed Siller's brothers and sisters at length.
The documentary, titled, "For the Love of Their Brother," captures the painful emotions of the family's experience and the triumph in finding a way to ensure their brother will live on.
The film is narrated by actor John Turturro, a native New Yorker and longtime friend of the family. "[The Sillers] have made it their business to make sure their brother is never forgotten. It's very admirable, courageous and painful for them," said Turturro.
The documentary is scheduled to air in over 90 percent of the markets around the country. The film will air in New York on PBS Channel 13, on Sept. 11 at noon. To learn more about the film, the run or the foundation, visit the www.fortheloveoftheirbrother.com.