Lt. Richard Estreicher dedicated his life to giving back back to others. Whether it was on a national scale or locally, he centered his life on helping anyone that he could. When Rich enrolled in the United States Marine Corps just seven months after graduating from high school. One of his life long dreams was to serve his country and that is exactly what he did. He also spent some time overseas in Philippines on the island of Guam where he was stationed.

When he came home from the Marine Corps he took a job working as a Corrections Officer in Riker’s Island. He then worked in EMS before landing his dream job of being a Firefighter for the city of New York. He would tell his children, Callie and Victoria that being a firefighter is everything that he always wanted to be. Rich knew he was destined to be a firefighter and it was something that fulfilled him immensely.

Rich worked in three companies over the course of his 23 year career. He started in Ladder 156 in Brooklyn, Rescue 5 in Staten Island, and retired out of Engine 248 in Brooklyn. Lt. Estreicher kept busy by volunteering his time to the Marine Corps League in Staten Island, where each year he would participate in Toys for Tots - a program that provided children with presents for the holiday season.

Lt. Estreicher passed on many of the Marine Corps values to his daughters and wife. He preached to make your bed each morning. That way you can start the day off feeling accomplished even if you didn’t do anything else. He also enjoyed making jokes to lighten up the mood. He constantly quoted Ralph Kramden from his favorite show “The Honeymooners.” Along with watching anything from the History or Military channel, Rich enjoyed taking his kids to yearly Yankee games, running marathons, watching the Giants on Sundays, going to Aruba with his wife, and spending time with family and friends.

Unfortunately on September 11, 2001 the country experienced several horrific attacks. Lt. Estreicher was a first responder on that day and it was something that changed his life forever. He spent many months down at Ground Zero where he helped in the clean up. Many of his friends were taken from him and as a result he suffered from a plethora of illnesses including PTSD, GERD, and RAD, among many other things. This event had caused him a lot of pain but it never stopped him from being an amazing father and husband. His instincts were to help anyone that he could and he did it with pride.

In September of 2019, 9/11 had unfortunately caught up to Lt. Estreicher. As a result of that day he was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. A deadly disease which does not discriminate. His fight was short but everything that he had taught his wife and kids will live on through his legacy. We now honor Lt. Estreicher by giving back to those who need it most. He was our hero and he will always be our hero.