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Balloons for Tony Valerio, fallen Diamond Heights firefighter

August 14, 2011 by Elizabeth Weise

Photo: Chris Hardy

By Murray Schneider

More than 50 family, friends and fellow fire fighters released more than a hundred balloons above Fire Station 26 at noon on Sunday, August 14th to remember the 54th birthday of San Francisco firefighter and paramedic, Anthony Valerio.

The red, yellow, blue and orange balloons sailed to the left of both the American and California state flags that flew over the firehouse. Some nestled in the branches of an adjacent pine tree before escaping to the east, carried away by an afternoon Diamond Heights breeze.

The last time such a number of people gathered in front of the fire house, on June 6th, the two flags waved at half-staff in honor of Tony Valerio and his fallen comrade, Vincent Perez, both taken in a tragic June 2nd Berkeley Way home fire.

On June 6th people had grieved; two months and seven days later they returned to celebrate a San Francisco hero’s birthday.

Lorraine and Frank Valerio, Tony's parents. Photo by Chris Hardy
Photo Chris Hardy

“My brother never forgot anyone’s birthday,” said Jacquie Samsel, Valerio’s younger sister, as she assembled smiling celebrants in a circle. “He was fun-loving and loved life.”

With the released balloons floating toward Noe Valley, participants broke into a rendition of Happy Birthday.

Moments later, around cookies and cupcakes, people reminisced about a man they remembered as the ‘Peoples’ Paramedic.’

“Tony was always rescuing somebody,” Donna Valerio, another sister recalled. “Once on an airplane the flight attendant called for a doctor and Tony jumped from his seat and assisted a man with gastro-intestinal pains.”

“Another time,” she continued, “in Monterey, where he was scuba diving, he pulled a man from the ocean who’d been attacked by a shark.”

“Tony had a sense of humor, though,” she smiled. “Answering an emergency call, Tony listened to a man complaining he passed out when he stood. So Tony told the man not to stand up.”

Janette Neves-Reyes, a ten-year SFFD veteran, knew Valerio for a brief six months. “Tony crammed more in one year of life than most people do in a lifetime,” she said. “Once we were called to a Diamond Heights kitchen fire. When the French couple thanked Tony, he answered them in French. Before we left they’d baked us French chocolate cookies.”

Photo: Chris Hardy

Valerio was a man for all seasons, people recollected. He surfed, hang-glided, scuba dived, cooked, spoke several foreign languages with fluency and even raised chickens in his Excelsior backyard.

“We’d have to shackle him down,” smiled Neves-Reyes. “Tony would talk to anybody.”

“Tony was just a nice guy,” said Bill Walkup, his brother-in-law. “There was a French lady in the neighborhood who’d come to the firehouse and Tony would speak French to her so she’d wouldn’t get homesick.”

“Off duty, once,” Valerio’s sister Donna recalled, “he got into his scuba gear and cleaned the Steinhart Aquarium’s fish tanks.”

Marina Valerio remembered her 50th birthday, which took place in 2009. “I was born in Italy where my father was stationed,” she reflected. “Tony asked me what I wanted and I said I wanted to see Verona. Tony took me, on his dime. It was the best experience of my life.”

Frank Valerio, Tony’s father, who spent 20 years in the U.S. Army, assessed his son’s life. “He was a good kid who grew up into a good man.”

Photo: Chris Hardy

Willie Cassillas, who has been in the fire department for 20 years, remembered Velerio. “Tony was the happiest firefighter of us all,” he said, “He was a fantastic paramedic, saving lives in every corner of the city.”

“Tony was a gentle soul,” Neves-Rivera chimed in. “When my blood sugar got too high while on duty, he’d lay out alcohol and diabetic sticks and test me.”

“He had a simple rule, the Golden Rule,” Casillas added. “Tony assisted stricken people exactly in the way he thought he’d like to be helped.”

Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White released a balloon and stood reminiscing about Valerio with his siblings and parents.

“Tony will be missed,” she said. “He was an upbeat man with a talent for bringing us all together.”

Evidence of this abounds and isn’t lost on Neves-Rivera. “The neighbors have been so great,” she said. “Throughout August, each Tuesday and Thursday, they bring us dinner.”

Agreeing with the Fire Chief and her sister firefighter, Valerio’s younger brother, Mark, recalled. “Tony brought out the best in people,” he said. “Lining the streets at his funeral, homeless people came out of nowhere.”

Tony’s sister Jacquie has created a photo site to honor her brother. You can see it here.

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Glen Park Association is at Glen Park Greenway.
4 days ago
Glen Park Association

Saturday’s Glen Park Greenway Work Party is Cancelled.

“I’m very sorry to say that
we have cancelled our Work Party for this Saturday July 12, along with all organized volunteer activity on the Greenway until further notice.
As you may have read in the news, our fiscal sponsor, San Francisco Parks Alliance (SFPA), has shut itself down. Just as SFPA has shut itself down, the Greenway, as an organized part of SFPA, has also been “shut down.” We are busy looking for a suitable alternative fiscal sponsor that is willing to replace SFPA. That search is going well but it is a slow process. We had hoped to find temporary ways to enable the Greenway project to function responsibly as a community activity without a fiscal sponsor. Sadly, despite our best efforts and the help of many others in Glen Park, we have failed. That is why we must cancel our Saturday Work Party and discontinue future work parties and other organized volunteer activity on the Greenway (like weeding and watering) until further notice. We recognize that the Greenway is public open space and that the organizers of the Greenway project have no control over the activities of you or of anyone else on the Greenway. However, if you do venture onto the Greenway to satisfy your urge for outdoor recreation, please be aware that your activity is not in any way organized or sanctioned by the organizers of the Glen Park Greenway project. I’m well aware of the efforts that many of the
Greenway’s supporters are making to get the Greenway organized with a new fiscal sponsor and I’m confident that this will be arranged within weeks or perhaps a few months.
However long it takes, I will contact you with news of our progress.
Many thanks for all that you do for the Greenway.”

Nicholas Dewar, volunteer Project Director

#glenparkgreenway #glenparksf #sanfrancisco @rafaelmandelmand8 @danielluriesf @crosstowntrail
#crosstowntrail #sfparksalliance #publicspace #nature
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Wonder what’s stopping just organizing it separate from that non-profit. It seems like the volunteers largely come from Glen Park.

Glen Park Association is at Laidley Street SFO.
1 week ago
Glen Park Association

It was a beautiful day for the annual #july4th celebration on Laidley street!

📷: Photos courtesy of Michael Waldstein

#glenparksf #sanfrancisco #laidley
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It was a beautiful day for the annual #july4th celebration on Laidley street! 

📷: Photos courtesy of Michael Waldstein 

#glenparksf #sanfrancisco #laidley
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