Maglione Remembered for Strength, Loyalty and Accomplishments

The casual chatter filling fell silent just after 10 a.m. Friday morning. As the church bells tolled to signal the new hour, bag pipes could be heard approaching, leading a solemn procession through the rain down Westfield Avenue.

“This is when I start crying,” one woman in the church said as the crowd sat silent, waiting, knowing what would come next.

The crowd’s attention went to the door, as a flag draped casket was carried inside by a group of , performing one last act of brotherhood for their friend and colleague, . Maglione, 41, Tuesday afternoon following a 15-month battle with a rare form of cancer.

Maglione’s widow, Katie, followed in, flanked by the couple's two teenage daughters, Mariesa and Tallia, looking ashen, watching the casket make its way up the aisle. Maglione’s parents, Daniel and Kathryn, brother, Anthony, sister, Lisa Maglione-Chenault, and other friends and relatives, followed Katie up the aisle. Westfield Fire Chief Dan Kelly led the fire department in behind the family; the second time in less than a year the department had assembled to remember one of their own.

The in town was for Firefighter Jim Pfeiffer last August, after Pfeiffer died following a freak accident while off-duty at his Mountainside home. Maglione and Pfeiffer were both members of the bravo company.

Rev. James Moran, parochial vicar of Holy Trinity, welcomed the Maglione family to the church. The flag was removed and laid on the back pew, the casket covered in a white sheet from the church to remember his baptism. Moran used his homily to talk to the Maglione family and to remember Maglione’s accomplishments.

“You can live to be 99 and do nothing or you can live to be 41 and live, truly live,” Moran said, recounting Maglione’s accomplishments. “Wow, what a life. There was no waste of time.”

In addition to 12 years as a firefighter, Maglione had been a Westfield police dispatcher and Rescue Squad member. He had a landscaping business, was a drummer, taught drumming, coached football and softball in Piscataway and was an avid motorcyclist. Maglione continued to teach drumming as his illness progressed. Maglione was cited for bravery during his career.

Maglione’s younger brother, Anthony, eulogized his brother.

“Growing up as the youngest offers a certain perspective on an older brother,” Anthony Maglione said. “I idolized my brother. As a boy he was a hero.”

He kept the eulogy upbeat, saying early on that he could not share every story about his brother, encouraging the congregation to share stories amongst themselves after the service. He spoke on Halloween when he and his brother and sister will children, and their parents' rule that they could only have five pieces of candy before going to sleep. Being the youngest, Anthony Maglione said he followed the rules, but something happened while he slept.

“Danny and Lisa snuck into my room and ate the candy and left the wrappers in the pumpkin,” Maglione said to laughter.

Maglione talked about how his brother succeeding in everything he did, including athletics, heavy metal drumming, firefighting and being able to make just about anything. To laughter, he did find one thing Danny had trouble doing, selling vacuum cleaners.

“He had an unbelievable amount of strength,” Anthony Maglione said.

To underscore his point, he remembered a time when Danny invited his brother and father to his home to help move a shed. Impatient that they had not arrived, Anthony said his brother took things into his own hands, placing the shed on a handcart and moving it to the other side of the yard.

In between the anecdotes, Anthony shared his thoughts on the relationship he had with his brother.

“It warms my heart that as we got older and we had key conversations at points along the way, he told me he was proud of me,” Anthony Maglione said. “I got to see him as a boy, as a teen, a young man, a husband and a father and all through the eyes of a younger brother who knew he was great.”

Anthony Maglione remembered his brother’s loyalty to friends and family, noting he had heard many stories in the last few days about things Danny had done for friends and co-workers. He also addressed the fire department.

“He was proud to be a fireman,” he said. “You were his family and you are our family. He was proud of everything he dedicated himself to.”

He remembered his brother’s last days, where he said Danny Maglione’s personality continued to shine through.

“He had a wicked sense of humor,” Anthony Maglione said. “In the hospital on Monday morning, the first thing he said to me was ‘alright T why don’t you go into the hall and sing a happy song.’”

As his brother’s remarks came to a close, Maglione’s casket was led out of the church, stopping at the door to be blessed with holy water. Under the watchful eye of his wife, daughters and parents, the white sheet was replaced with the flag and then covered in plastic to protect against the sleet falling outside.

Exiting the church, the casket, family and friends were greeted with the fire department lined up in their class A uniforms, saluting their fallen brother, with bagpipes playing in the background. The casket was placed on top of a yellow fire engine in preparation for the journey to the cemetery in Wall Township. As the casket was secured by firefighters, the family proceeded to waiting limousines, with many watching, remembering.

Before heading to Wall, Maglione, who lived in Westfield before moving to South Jersey, was taken on one last drive through the town he served. The procession stopped in front of the firehouse, where firefighters from Elizabeth and Rahway, who were covering Westfield, stood at attention paying one last tribute to Maglione.

As they exited the church, many talked about the last words of Anthony Maglione’s eulogy, ones that encompassed his relationship with his brother.

“Danny, I hope they have a drum set in heaven,” he said. “Because when I get there we will rock out bro. I love you.”