Few people who walk upon this earth for only 49 years can have the impact in this world that Greg Hennessey had. A father, son, husband, friend, mentor, volunteer, and benevolent firefighter, he left us all too soon on January 20, 2014.

Greg entered this world on October 21, 1964, to James and Virginia Hennessey. He was born and raised in Freeport, New York, where he graduated with honors from Freeport High School in 1982. Greg was deeply involved with the Boy Scouts organization and became an Eagle Scout, its highest ranking. He obtained a marketing and management degree from Hofstra University in 1987. In his spare time, Greg was a proud member of the Freeport Volunteer Fire Department and truly fell in love with the firefighter culture. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Southern California to pursue the American Dream. He was employed by J.C. Penney, where he was a manager. On May 21, 1988, Greg married his high school sweetheart and girl next door, Deanna (she literally lived down the street), and they began their lives together.

Although Greg tried to adapt to a 9 to 5 job, his love for the fire department called to him, and he was inducted into the Orange County Fire Department in 1990. The Hennesseys welcomed their first child, Ryan, in 1991 and their second son, Brandon, in 1994. Besides being a loving father, husband, and civil servant, Greg was also an avid Ford Mustang fan and collector. He was a mentor for the Fire Explorers, a tech volunteer for the Theatre Experience of Southern California, and sat on several Eagle Scout boards. He loved to drink Coke by the gallon.

People who remember Greg say he was reliable, honest, hardworking, no nonsense, and just a really, really nice guy. He left this world before we were ready to say goodbye, but he left it a much better place than he found it. For that, we are all truly thankful. Our loss is heaven’s gain, and he will be missed by all who knew and loved him.