Oitice Memorial dedicated in ceremony at Riverfront Green

The permanent reminder of service to community and paying the ultimate sacrifice to save others will live forever along Peekskill’s waterfront at the Sam Oitice Memorial Park unveiled on Saturday.

At a moving ceremony presented by the committee that oversaw construction of the park, New York City Firefighter Oitice was remembered as a hero, though he wouldn’t have given himself that title.

“We knew we would have to come up with something that would be acceptable to Sam,” said Sue Sheridan, a member of the committee. “The memorial you see here today is just that. He would have been the first to tell you that there was everyone else there but him was a hero. Today we honor not only Sam but all the others.”

Oitice’s widow Jean, speaking on behalf of the family, thanked the volunteers who worked for several years to bring the park into existence.

“We owe a great deal of thanks to this committee of which I was a very small part,” Jean Oitice said. “The committee is small, but man can they work. To Jimmy, Sue, Pat, Barbara and Timmy, I say a huge thank you for all your hard work in the last few years and especially in the last few months and the last few weeks when it was really crunch time.”

The members of the Sam Oitice Heroes Remembered Memorial Committee are: Tim Fetzer, Barbara Matwijec, Jean Oitice, Jim Howard, Pat Matwijec and Sue Sheridan.

Sheridan also thanked former Gov. George Pataki and County Legislator and former mayor John Testa for their roles in helping provide funding and leadership to build the memorial. “If it wasn’t for John Testa and George Pataki we would not be here today,” Sheridan said.

In his remarks, Testa recalled the efforts that built the memorial and the significance it holds for the city of Peekskill.

“We approached Governor Pataki who was 100 percent on board and helped and I know he’ll be here soon to visit,” an emotional Testa said.

“This is a very important memorial for our city. Soon after 9/11 when I was mayor I said the city of Peekskill will never forget Sept. 11, 2001. Thank you for having me here.

“Come down here often and remember all those people who gave their lives, especially Sam. Remember his family, who have been so strong for our community. We thank all who perished and have given their lives for us.”

Peekskill Deputy Mayor Don Bennett said a memorial to all those public servants who race toward danger when others flee is an appropriate and timeless way to memorialize their courage.

“We will remember ten years from now, fifty years from now and a hundred years from now the sacrifice not just by those people on Sept. 11 but also when we lost the seven on August 1 at the Fleischmann’s fire,” Bennett said.

The Heroes Memorial at the Peekskill Waterfront also commemorates the sacrifice of Peekskill firemen who died in the 1918 fire at the Fleischmann’s mill.

A 13-foot steel beam from the World Trade Center was presented by the Port Authority at the ceremony Saturday to be placed at the site.

The memorial is named for Oitice, one of the 343 FDNY firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Oitice was a life-long resident of Peekskill, a 25-year member of the Peekskill Fire Department and a former Peekskill police officer prior to joining the FDNY. He was an FDNY firefighter for nearly 19 years prior to his death.

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