Alphonso McMoore
Greenport firefighter and village worker Al McMoore, 58, died Wednesday, Feb. 23, at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City while awaiting a liver transplant. He had been hospitalized for ongoing treatment and tests.
About two weeks ago, Mr. McMoore said that when he first became ill in April 2010, doctors thought he might be a candidate for a partial liver transplant and his son would have been a compatible donor. But his condition worsened, necessitating a full transplant and he was awaiting a suitable donor.
Born in Queens on May 11, 1952, to Dorothy Allen and James Thomas, Mr. McMoore was captain of the Greenport Fire Department’s Hook & Ladder Company and an ex-captain of the GFD rescue squad. He was named Emergency Medical Service Man of the Year in 2001 and earned accreditation as a critical care emergency medical technician in 2006. He also worked as a meter reader for the Village of Greenport for 11 years.
When he wasn’t attending to his work for the village or the fire department, according to his wife, Sarah Haynes, Mr. McMoore loved going to yard sales and collecting small model cars. He was also an excellent cook, she said.
“Big Al, he was one of a kind,” fellow firefighter Bernard Purcell said of his friend. “I’m going to miss him.”
In addition to his wife, Mr. McMoore is survived by his children, Michael, Melissa, Nakinja, Michelle Maki, Nakei, Alphonso Jr., Dawnella and Cherise. A son, Matthew, predeceased him. Also surviving are his mother, of Staten Island; 30 grandchildren; a brother, Kenneth McMoore of Staten Island; and sisters Diane and Marcella McMoore, both of Brooklyn, and Patricia Lee of upstate New York. Two other siblings, Regina “Bunny” McMoore and James Thomas Jr., predeceased him.
The family will receive visitors at Horton-Mathie Funeral Home in Greenport Thursday, March 3, from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. A funeral service will be held Friday, March 4, at 11 a.m. at Jefferson Temple Church of God in Christ on Route 48 in Cutchogue. The Rev. Eugene Jefferson will officiate.
Greenport Fire Department members have organized a “Fill the Boot” campaign to help Mr. McMoore’s family pay his outstanding medical expenses and will hold a spaghetti dinner fundraiser Saturday, March 12, 6 to 9 p.m., at the Third Street firehouse. Tickets are $15. Checks payable to the Al McMoore Fill the Boot Campaign may also be sent to the Greenport Fire Department, P.O. Box 58, Greenport, NY 11944.
