50 new names of those who perished during or after 9/11 etched onto Cemetery of the Holy Rood memorial

As workers peeled back a stencil from the jet-black granite at the Cemetery of the Holy Rood on Monday, Eva Cole watched as her husband's name was revealed.

Charles D. Cole Jr. had become one of 50 names newly etched into Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island's 9/11 memorial in Westbury, a permanent tribute to a man his widow remembered as someone who devoted his life to serving others.

In addition to being a Nassau County police officer, Cole volunteered with the Patchogue and Medford fire departments before later becoming a member of the Wantagh fire department.

"He was a man of service," said Cole, of Wantagh. "He was always giving back."

Cole's husband died of brain cancer related to Ground Zero toxic exposure following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. This month marked 15 years since his death.

"I have tears in my eyes that his name is going to be there forever," she said.

Behind a bronze replica of Michelangelo's Pietà, depicting Mary holding Jesus after the crucifixion, the 12-foot-tall, 8-foot-wide monument rises from the cemetery grounds in the shape of a cross. Its polished granite now bears the names of 640 people who died on 9/11 and in the years that followed.

Five names were added to the front, honoring those who died in the attacks, while 45 were added to the rear, memorializing those who later died of 9/11-related illnesses and injuries.

For Cole, seeing her husband's name being carved offered another way to remember the man she said could always make people laugh.

"I miss him so much every day," she said. "And knowing this is right in my backyard, he's there forever."

John F. Kennedy, chief financial officer of Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island, said the organization accepts requests each year from families and friends to add names to the memorial, provided they can submit documentation such as an obituary or a letter from a fire department.

"It's remarkable, still adding names to the front and back of people who were impacted by that day 25 years ago," Kennedy said.

The monument provides families with a quiet place to mourn, he said. Three rows of headstones surrounding it also honor victims, some of whom are buried with family members.

"There'll be things in the firehouses, but a cemetery brings a special peace and calmness," Kennedy said. "I think what we have here is a very special offering for our families."

The monument was designed and built in 2003 by Paul Cangelosi, president of Cangelosi Monuments Design, who said the selected design was his favorite among several concepts he presented to the memorial committee.

More than two decades later, it continues to grow.

The process began in the morning with workers measuring the granite, marking sections with blue tape and applying stencils so the new names would align with those already carved into the stone. Then came what Cangelosi described as the most difficult part: sandblasting.

"If he blows too deep, it'll be too deep. If it's not blown enough, it won't show up," Cangelosi said as the loud sound emanated when the sandblaster began carving.

Catholic Cemeteries of Long Island covers the cost of adding names through donations and its own proceeds, Kennedy said. An annual memorial Mass will be held at 1 p.m. on Sept. 11 at the site, where Kennedy expects 300 to 400 people to attend.

For Cole, Monday's work was a reminder that even nearly 25 years after the attacks, those who are gone have not been forgotten.

"They are still remembering all the people that have died since 9/11," she said. "It's amazing."