Photos: Hundreds Turn Out to Honor A Hero

(SEE PHOTO GALLERY BELOW)

WADING RIVER, NY - They came in buses and by car, while some walked somberly up the road toward a funeral that brought many to silent tears.

Fire departments from across Suffolk County and beyond turned out en masse Thursday and Friday to pay their final respects to a man who spent his life serving others.

A wake held for Thomas Lateulere, a beloved former Wading River Fire Chief and Suffolk County Chief of Training and Education for the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council who died Tuesday, brought hundreds to Wading River.

The wake was held at the Wading River Fire Department, which was draped in black. Flowers, flags, and photographs of a man who touched countless lives filled the room.

A funeral service was held today at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church.

Remembering Lateulere, Southold Fire Department Chief Peggy Killian said, "I have known Tom for about 20 years. He was an awesome teacher and paramedic. He so cared for his patients and students. He expected the best from everyone, and you always wanted to live up to his expectations."

She added, "He was just that kind of guy went out of his way to help you. He headed up so many of the new protocols and drugs that we use today in EMS. Suffolk County is always in front of the curve, thanks to Tom. There is so much I can say about him. He is the best. He is the man."

Joe McCarthy, Chaplain of the Southold Fire Department, remembered a friend.

"It's not very often that we're privileged to meet and have such positive interaction with someone of Tom Lateulere's caliber. His legacy is one not easily met . . . He was a driving force in establishing the Suffolk County Department of Emergency Medical Services as a true leader in optimizing patient care through teaching the use of new technologies, and through that department, training innumerable EMS members throughout the County and beyond, and encouraging us to be the best that we could possibly be," he said. "Tom cared a lot about the right stuff, and it showed every day. Suffolk County residents are so much better off because Tom Lateulere cared so much. Tom's friends will carry on, in his honor."

The turnout was one of the largest Suffolk County has ever seen.

But just as he'd touched so many in life, he'd likely not want anyone to shed tears. A memorial card at the wake read, "Fill not your hearts with pain and sorrow, but remember me in every tomorrow. Remember the joy, the laughter, the smiles. I've only gone to rest a little while. . .As long as I have the love of each of you, I can live my life in the hearts of all of you."