Newly found blood vials allow for funeral of 9/11 fire chief

Two vials of blood that Battalion Chief Lawrence T. Stack donated to the New York Blood Center just over a year prior to his passing were placed in a casket Friday in Long Island and buried.

Chief Stack, a veteran of the US Navy, was 58-years-old when he rushed to the World Trade Center site after two planes struck the iconic towers.

His remains were never found, and a memorial service was held in his honor in December 2001.

Stack’s remains were never recovered from Ground Zero but almost 15 years after his death, Stack’s family was able to obtain his donated blood from New York Blood Center. “Your father, FDNY Battalion Chief Larry Stack, can rest in peace now because you can, too”.

The two knew each other as young boys, he said. Both of his sons are now firemen in the FDNY.

They joined together and came up the ranks at the same time, Duggan said. “I hope they’re honored by this show of support”.

“But that’s what happened”. Stack’s wife, Theresa Stack, and her two sons visited the New York Blood Center previous year, and the center located Stack’s blood in a storage facility in Minnesota, the Times reported.

Lt. Michael Stack said during the funeral service that his father, who was a safety expert with the department, had been working in his office preparing a report on the deaths of three firefighters killed exactly 15 years ago Friday – June 17, 2001. The funeral for Lawrence Stack will be held at Saints Philip and James Roman Catholic Church, in St. James on Long Island.

A fire truck delivered Stack’s casket, wrapped in an American flag.

He was survived by his wife and two sons, both of whom are in the FDNY. The procession was led by FDNY pipe band and Irish and American flags were flown as the ceremony began.

“It was like a miracle that they still had it”, Chief Stack’s widow, Theresa Stack, told the New York Daily News.

He also served overseas in the U.S. Navy and did a tour of duty in the Vietnam War. He was first assigned to ladder companies in Brooklyn.

He was promoted to lieutenant in 1992, then to battalion chief in 1990, then to chief of safety command in 2000.

Theresa Stack, who was presented with her husband’s helmet as she left the church, said the family wanted to hold a public funeral “so people don’t forget” 9/11.