'Kind and Hard-Working'
Recall Sanman's Appetite for Life

By REUVEN BLAU

Ruth Ann Occhino leaned on her son Carmine for support as she watched seven Sanitation Workers in trim green uniforms carry his twin's casket into the church.

MICHAEL OCCHINO

She sobbed as they slowly walked past the dimly lit entrance inside the St. Bernadette Roman Catholic Church in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn. At one point she was overcome with tears and needed to stop. After a brief pause, the procession continued, with hundreds of Michael Occhino's family members, friends, and colleagues walking silently behind.

Thrown From Truck

Mr. Occhino, 25, died Aug. 28 after his truck overturned and crashed into a guard rail on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway as he was returning to his Brooklyn garage at the end of his tour at 4 a.m. Police said he was thrown from the truck, which nearly fell over the elevated rain-soaked highway.

"I wish I could answer the 'why' question," said Father Joseph Gancila. "The why did this happen?"

Mr. Occhino was remembered as a hard worker who always helped others. "As a kid, he wanted to be Superman," Mayor Bloomberg told the more-than 400 mourners gathered inside the church and several hundred outside. "As an adult, he became the next best thing: a proud member of New York's Strongest."

The Chief-Leader/Adrienne Haywood-James A FINAL SALUTE: Hundreds of family members, friends, and colleagues gathered in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn Aug. 31 to pay their last respects to Sanitation Worker Michael A. Occhino. He died Aug. 28 after his truck overturned and crashed into a guard rail on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway as he was returning to his garage at the end of his early-morning tour.

He began his career working for Sanitation in The Bronx in May 2004 and was later assigned to Brooklyn South District 11 in Bensonhurst. All the while, he dreamed of joining Carmine as a Firefighter working in Brooklyn's Engine Co. 253.

'Deep Regret'

"Our deepest regret is that Michael was taken from us so young and so early in his career," said Sanitation Commissioner John J. Doherty. "I'm sure he would have moved up in the department and had a rewarding career with Sanitation or the Fire Department." Mr. Occhino's colleagues recalled how after a big snowstorm last winter he was dispatched to dig out garbage baskets along 86th St., which had been buried under several feet of snow. "Anyone who's worked the job will tell you this is a difficult task," Mr. Bloomberg remarked.

But after 12 hours of shoveling Mr. Occhino was able to clear most of the street, his supervisor recalled. "The guys at BK 11 will always remember Michael - not just for his strength, but for his kindness," Mr. Bloomberg said. "If there was ever a night when his partner wasn't feeling well, Michael would say, 'You just stay up front and drive. I'll do all the baskets.'''

Mr. Occhino was also remembered for his incredible ability to eat large amounts of food. "It could be burgers or hot dogs, or ziti and sausage rolls, or steamed pork buns and coconut custard, or sometimes all of the above," Mr. Bloomberg remarked. "Only a guy like Michael could eat this way and still pursue a modeling career!"

His co-workers are planning to memorialize him by sealing his locker with Plexiglas.

Carmine was his best friend and closest confidant, those who knew Michael said. "They were inseparable," commented Sanitation Worker Frank Amon after the service. "He was a great person."

Firefighters on Hand

A group of Carmine's firefighter colleagues also attended the funeral, sitting at the back right of the church in their distinct blue uniforms.

"Carmine, there is no doubt that your loss is indescribable," Mr. Bloomberg told him. "If there is any comfort, I hope it comes from the knowledge that your brother gave his life serving the community that meant so much to him."

Mr. Occhino is survived by his mother, grandparents, Michael and Mary Pizzi, and great-grandmother, Mary.

"Michael is not really gone, he has just been reassigned to a new district," Mr. Doherty said. "One where the cans are light with angel feathers, and snow duties consist of plowing the clouds to let the sun shine down on us."