A Tribute to Gary Albero

A Tribute to Gary Albero

Gary Albero was a 39-year-old insurance broker for Aon Corporation, located in the World Trade Center; he was a resident of Emerson, New Jersey; and he was a victim of the terrorist attacks which took the lives of so many on September 11, 2001.

Reading the posts on his memorial at Legacy.com made me cry in sympathy for his family and friends. Gary was a husband and a father. One of his neighbors saw him a week before his death. He shouted, "It's my beautiful wife's 40th birthday!!!" That really gives me insight into the kind of husband he must have been.

I'll let the quotes from his family speak as a testimony to his life:

From his wife:

My husband was my best friend, he loved unconditionally. Gary was a super friendly person and as a result had many friends. He liked people, sports and music. I will always remember Gary as a very happy person who wanted to help people. He will be greatly missed, but his spirit lives on in our son and our hearts. Our loss is heaven's gain.

From his mother:

(Yankee Fan Gary Albero - NYT 11/2/01) It was a wonderful article but it didn't completely capture the essence of the man. From the moment he learned to speak, at a very early age, he was hilarious. When I needed to complete a chore, I would have to turn to my "off" button. When he and his wife purchased their house, he knew everyone in the neighborhood before they moved in. When we moved with me into a new house when he was still in college, I would go to the local shopkeepers, and they woudl say "you must be Mrs. Albero." Gary knew and shared with everyone -- even my description I guess. He was a beloved man. But I want to say for the New York Yankees, he was your biggest fan. When I watched the games on Wednesday and Thursday night, I could see Gary cheering and yelling "yea" and celebrating into the night. I hope wherever he is that he got to enjoy some of your greatest moments.

The following profile was published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on November 2, 2001.

Helping the Unfortunate

Never judge a broker by his collar. Take Gary Albero. He was a good insurance broker: urbane and vigorous, and he could sell. That's what led him to 2 World Trade Center for a breakfast meeting. But it was not the money or the numbers that appealed to him, said his wife, Aracelis. "He liked talking," she said. "He liked people and the job fit him."

Consider the private life of Gary Albero, who was 39 and lived in Emerson, N.J. He often volunteered at a local homeless shelter and sometimes slept there because he was interested in the lives of the homeless. He would come home, put on a white collar and go off to conquer Wall Street.

Gary Albero met a boy some years ago who came from a troubled family. Mr. Albero took him under his wing, took him to ball games and coached him in football.

When it was time for the young man to go off to college, Mr. Albero was there to help pack his belongings and drive him to his dormitory. They hugged; the man gave the boy some money and reminded him that he could be anything he wanted to be.

The Alberos had their own child, a boy, a year and a half ago. "That was the happiest day of his life," Mrs. Albero said.

He was a man who is missed and loved. Friends remember his birthday and post comments on his memorial on that day. May God comfort those who miss him and mourn his loss.

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2,996 is a tribute to the victims of 9/11.

On September 11, 2006, 2,996 volunteer bloggers
will join together for a tribute to the victims of 9/11.
Each person will pay tribute to a single victim.

We will honor them by remembering their lives,
and not by remembering their murderers.

Here are my personal memories of this day.