The lives of some of those we lost in WTC attack Terence McShane, father, husband, firefighter by Carolyn James

Terence McShane is shown above with his wife and three sons in photo almost two years ago.

The sun and solace of the beach was always an attraction to Terence McShane. He worked as a lifeguard at Overlook Beach in Babylon and it was there that he met Cathy Watt, the woman who was to become his wife. He also spent many sun and fun-filled days by the sand and water with his three children.

So it was a natural choice for Cathy to decide to hold her husband’s memorial service there. Terence McShane, 37, was killed in the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center September 11. He was a member of Ladder Company 101 of Redhook, Brooklyn and was among 7 firefighters from that station house lost that day.

Despite the November date, the day was warm and sunny, a fact that Cathy said she had confidence in even when others wondered whether it was a good idea to gather so many people at the beach in November.

"I knew it would be good weather," she said. "A lot of things have just seemed to fall into place with timing."

The McShane family was living in Deer Park on September 11 as their West Islip home was undergoing major reconstruction. The day before, Terence had completed a lot of work on the home, preparing it for the contractors.

"It was some detailed work that only he knew how to do, and he felt good about being able to get it done that day," said Cathy.

Friends and fellow firefighters have completed the job for their fallen brother and Cathy and her three children are now back home, but without the husband and father they loved so much.

Speaking again about the timing of things, Cathy said she was carrying the last box into the house the day they moved back when she received word that they had found her husband’s body. And, the news came in time for the memorial service. "At least we had him with us," she said.

While the news was painful because it forced her to face the brutal reality of her loss, she says now that she was fortunate to have some closure.

"There are many wives who don’t have this and it just makes it harder," said Cathy. "They just never know and that has to be very difficult, especially if they hold a memorial service and then have to have a wake and go through it all over again."

Terence McShane was raised in Deer Park. He attended Sts. Cyril and Methodius Elementary School in Deer Park and St. Anthony’s High School. He also graduated from Sienna College in Albany, New York.

He took both the New York City Police and Fire department exams, hoping to be called by the Fire Department. But the first call he got was from the Police Department, a job he took and worked at for 12 years.

He rose to the rank of Sergeant and was working in the 100th Precinct in Rockaway, responsible for the security of the public schools there when he got the call for the Fire Department.

By then, Terence McShane had assumed the responsibilities of life with a wife, children and a mortgage. The couple were outgrowing their home in West Islip and were just beginning to talk about expanding, and he had settled into his job with the Police Department.

"It was not an easy decision because he had a somewhat regular schedule and it meant a lot of changes for us, including a pay cut," said Cathy. "But it was something he always wanted to do."

And so, in February, 2000, Terence McShane became a New York City firefighter, a profession he said that he was proud to be a part of.

McShane’s unit was one of the first to respond to the World Trade Center. His wife knew that, and when she heard about the two planes that crashed into the buildings, she waited for his phone call with a friend, the wife of another firefighter. At 4:30 that day, there was a false report that the entire crew from the Ladder Company 101 was okay and she went home to wait for his call again. It never came.

The couple were married nine years. They have a son Aiden, 8 and twin boys, Colin and Sean, four and a half years old.

Cathy said she was drawn to Terence’s rugged good looks, his warmth and his humor and that he was a person she could always depend on. "He wasn’t perfect, but he was close to it," she said.

Terence coached a local soccer team and played Rugby with the Long Island Rugby Club. He also spent a lot of time enjoying his three boys.

"He wasn’t afraid to change a diaper when they were young and he took them wherever he went," she said.

Sitting in her new kitchen, Cathy said she takes things one day at a time. She can’t bring herself to think about the future yet, but she’s extremely grateful for the support of friends and community she’s received. "It has helped me to get through this," she said.

Despite a continued struggle with her grief, and her loss, Cathy’s going put up a Christmas tree this week. A firefighter from Engine 308 in Queens, which would have been Terence’s McShane’s permanent assignment after his rotation, delivered the tree to Cathy and her children and she’s committed, she said to making the holiday happy for her children.

"I have to do it for them," said Cathy. "He would have wanted that."