Louis Minervino & Peter Milano viewed
as men dedicated
to their families
Family members recall two Middletown men as special
VERONICA YANKOWSKI Barbara Minervino holds a photograph of her husband, Louis, who died in the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11.
Louis Minervino & Peter Milano viewed
as men dedicated
to their families
By josh davidson
VERONICA YANKOWSKI Peter and Jessica Milano sit with their mother, Patty, who holds an American flag sent to her in memory of her late husband, Peter, who died in the World Trade Center attack on Sept. 11.
Staff Writer
When Louis Joseph Minervino, 53, of Middletown was killed in the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attack, it sent a a numbing shock through his family. He was regarded as a likeable, caring man who took pride in being the family provider.
"He was the glue that held us together, and we were no longer able to be a whole entity," his widow, Barbara, said. "We were totally ripped apart. The heart of our life was taken away."
Louis worked on the 98th floor in tower one for Marsh McClennan. He left behind his wife and two daughters Dana, 25, and Marissa, 23.
"We were symbiotic," Barbara said. "I was his life, and he was mine, and it sometimes stuns me that he is not around, and I am."
Louis enjoyed traveling with his family, and his family was his true hobby, Barbara said, noting that their 26th anniversary would have been Sept. 20, 2001.
He worked hard to provide for his family, as Barbara noted, saying, "He left here (for work) at 6 a.m. and returned home at 9 p.m."
Weekends were devoted to visiting his mother in Staten Island, N.Y., she said.
Louis was a Rod Stewart fan and would imitate the singer with a rake while doing yardwork. And Barbara finds it remarkable that many times when she turns on the radio, she will hear a Rod Stewart song.
Louis also enjoyed helping out his church, especially by selling raffle tickets at the St. Mary’s fair.
Barbara is unable to work because of a disability and has had to learn how to handle finances and the family budget.
She said she spent the three months following Sept. 11 in total shock. She and her daughters are all in therapy.
"I’ve been robbed of my mate, and the girls have been robbed of their father," she said. "I think that he would have wanted to walk his daughters down the aisle when they got married and hold his grandchild, and that was all taken away from him. We’re just about taking baby steps now. It was chaotic at the beginning. There has been such generosity from the American people."
Seeing the exposure Sept. 11 has received on television and in magazines has been difficult, she said.
"There comes a point where no matter where you are, it’s in your face," she said.
Going to social situations without her husband has been difficult and almost unbearable, she said. She recalls going to a wedding and, while being happy for the couple, seeing everyone happy, dancing and having a good time was difficult.
Louis was a senior vice president at Marsh McClennan when he died. He worked in the finance department for 21 years and was posthumously named managing director. That was a promotion he had been up for prior to Sept. 11.
When asked how she would like Louis to be remembered, Barbara looked at his photo and clearly thought hard about her answer. In the picture, Louis has a big smile on his face.
"I’d like them to remember what a selfless person he was," she said. "He never, ever thought about himself. I’d like them to remember that he was a good, kind, loving person. Always with a smile. He was a gift. He was a gift from God. Anybody that knew him, loved him. It was a great, great loss not only to our family, but to the world as well."
Peter T. Milano was more than a father to his son, also named Peter, he was his best friend. He was viewed as a friend to everyone he came in contact with. Milano worked on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center as a senior vice president of corporate bonds for Cantor Fitzgerald and was killed in the Sept. 11 attack.
Peter remembers his father’s constant encouragement for his band, the Worst Day of the Week.
"No matter how bad we sounded, he always said we sounded great," Peter said. "When my friend Grant and I started the band, we probably sounded pretty bad. But he always said we didn’t."
The support of his family didn’t end there. Not by a long shot.
"I couldn’t count on my hands and toes how many times he told me, my mom and sister that he loved us," Peter said. "He called from work just to find out how our day went. Little things that he didn’t have to do, he did," Peter recalled. Milano set an example for his son to pattern himself after.
"Everything that I am, he taught me," Peter said. "My whole personality, that’s what I got from him. He taught me to respect women and my elders. I try to emulate him."
Peter remembers playing catch and basketball with his father on the driveway of their Middletown residence.
Peter said his father risked his own life to help another person during the 1993 terrorist bombing at the World Trade Center.
"When the first bombing happened, he carried a woman down whose legs [gave out] after going down the steps. He was caring and compassionate," the teenager said.
Peter sensed his father knew something might happen after the 1993 attack and prepared him in case it did. He said his father talked to him about how to handle the situation in the event it was repeated. Knowing this comforts him.
"It kind of helped to know that he expected something and he would be all right if something did happen," he said.
Peter pulled together strength soon after the attacks so he could be there for the many people affected by the loss of his father. He still will never recover from the loss, he said.
The talks with his father were helpful, he said.
"Since I was kind of prepared for it in my own way, I kind of had my own grief periods for a week," Peter said.
The list of people affected includes his own family — his sister, Jessica, 14; his mother, Patty; his father’s family; and even his own friends.
"I have some friends who looked at my dad as their dad away from home by the way he treated them. They were here so much," Peter said. "I never had a problem with him hanging out with me and my friends. Some kids don’t like when their parents hang out with them when their friends are there. I never really had a problem with it. Besides the fact that he was my father, he was my best friend.
"The one thing that mattered most to him was his family. He had this love for life. He would never trade places with anyone else. He worked very hard for what he had. I am happy that I had 16 great years, not worrying about not getting along or not having a good relationship."
Peter, who turned 17 in October, was a sophomore at Christian Brothers Academy, Lincroft, when he lost his father.
What Peter expects his father would have wanted to accomplish involves his family.
"I think he was looking forward to being a grandfather," the teen said. "He especially wanted to grow old with my mom. They always talked about that."
Each family member has dealt with the loss in his or her own way, Peter said.
"We set up a scholarship in his name to send a child every four years to my school," he said. "That helped with the grieving process, to know there’s something out there in his name."
Peter wants his father remembered for the way he lived his life.
"I would want people to give him the respect that he deserves and had," he said. "He had very high morals. There’s really not many words that could explain him. He did anything anybody needed him to do. He was a great person. There’s really no words to describe what he was like."