We gather to honor the memory of an exceptional individual whose physical absence is deeply felt, but whose legacy of love, compassion, and guidance endures. Eddie Hronec was born on April 29, 1954, on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. At the age of six, he moved with his family to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where he lived until his passing on August 22, 2022, due to 9/11-related cancer, which took his life within ten months of diagnosis.

At 18, Eddie began his career as a welder and pipefitter for Penn Central Railroad at Sunnyside Yards in Queens, New York. In 1970, through a mutual friend, he met his wife, whom he later married and with whom he had a son. Determined to provide security for his family, he joined the FDNY in 1987, serving with Engine 229/Ladder 146 in Greenpoint, near his beloved neighborhood. He described his work with the FDNY as the most rewarding occupation in the world, a brotherhood like no other.

Eddie was an adventurer who lived life to the fullest. Skydiving, deep-sea diving, whitewater rafting, skiing, and camping with family and friends brought him immense joy. His favorite saying, “If not now, when?” reflected his zest for life. Friends and family nicknamed him “MacGyver” for his resourcefulness and ability to brainstorm solutions in any crisis. In his own words, he was a “jack of all trades and master of none.” A jokester, storyteller, creative poet, loving family man, and loyal friend, Eddie’s strength, energy, kind heart, stories, and songs live on through all who were fortunate enough to know and love him.

Eddie was a loving husband, father, grandpa, and brother. A man among men, we will not see his like again.