Michael Cioffi
By ERIC MEIER
Ocean Township resident Michael Cioffi, who spent decades as a firefighter in Long Branch and New York and who spent weeks on the cleanup after the 9/11 attacks, died Saturday. He was 62.
He is being remembered this week as as a beloved father, husband, firefighter, trucking company owner and handyman.
In 1995 he landed his dream job with the New York Fire Department and Midtown Engine Company 54, Ladder 4, Battalion 9. the firehouse which would become known as the “hardest hit” of them all after the 9/11 attack on the twin towers.
After responding to the attacks that day he developed health issues eventually leading to pancreatic cancer.
“His life calling was with the fire department,” said his wife, Sylvia Sylvia Cioffi (Beneito). “When he was told he could no longer be a part of the fire department as a result of tests with his lung capacity, he told me every dayhow much he missed it.”
From a young age he knew he wanted to serve his community and become a firefighter. His first experience was when he was sworn in, by his father (who was then the Mayor of Long Branch- Henry ‘Skip’ Cioffi), to serve with the Long Branch Fire Department. It was there that he served from 1980-1994. The lifetime connections that he garnered within the LBFD among his brothers there remained strong up until his final days.
“The brotherhood of firefighters was much more than just a group of friends,” his wife said.
The New York firehouse lost an entire shift of 15 men on that horrific day. Cioffi remained at the scene for weeks.
He spent much of histenure with the FDNY as an elite team member of Rescue 1, in Midtown, Manhattan. He was highly decorated after many years of heroic actions, saving lives, and property too. After many years with the midtown firehouse he was welcomed to the Staten Island firehouse, Engine 165 and Ladder 85, where he would spend the last years of his career. before learning of the onset of his illnesses.
Besides firefighting Cioffi was known for owning a successful trucking company, called Central Jersey Trucking. He had his own dump trucks that he would operate until dark. When his wife wife was hired as the executive director of of the Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce several years ago Cioffi also became a de facto staff member there.
As Sylvia put it, “They got two hires for the price of one.”
He was instrumental in working on, building, and setting up every event produced by the chamber.
“The people of Asbury Park welcomed us with open arms and were our family when I was hired to the Chamber of Commerce,” Sylvia said.
Cioffi and his wife enjoyed going to Bruce Springsteen concerts over the years.
“The greatest of all the Bruce concerts we attended, “Sylvia said, “was the one held last year in the center of Rome at the Circus Maximum.”
In 2020, Cioffi received the devastating news that he could no longer be cleared for duty at the firehouse, due to the impact that his service at ground zero had on his lungs. Not long after being sidelined by lung capacity, he would begin to be diagnosed with several other 9/11 related conditions. The most aggressive of these illnesses was the pancreatic cancer diagnosis, whichultimately ended his life.
He is survived by his wife, who he called the love of his life, every single day since the day they met, and six children: Michael Luciano Cioffi, Sofia Cioffi, Maryella Cioffi, ChristopherSylvia, Jack Sylvia and Emma Sylvia.
A mass of Christian burial is scheduled for Thurs., March 28 at 11 a.m. at St. Michael’s Roman Catholic Church in Long Branch.
Donations may be made to Fired Up for a Cure, supporting cancer prevention of those impacted by 9/11, as well as everyday uniformed firefighters and their families. Visit https://www.firedupforacurefdnynyc.org/ for details.