Hundreds of NYC officers attend funeral of 9/11 cancer victim

Staff

5 years ago

Hundreds of New York City police officers lineup for the funeral ceremony for Detective Luis Al ... — Hundreds of New York City police officers lineup for the funeral ceremony for Detective Luis Alvarez, at Immaculate Conception Church, in the Queens borough of New York, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. Alvarez, 53, who died after a three-year battle with colorectal cancer, fought until his final days for the extension of the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund. (Jessica Moore, WCBS-TV via Twitter)

Rev. John P. Harrington blesses the casket during the funeral ceremony for Detective Luis Alvarez, at Immaculate Conception Church, in the Queens borough of New York, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. Alvarez, 53, who died after a three-year battle with colorectal cancer, fought until his final days for the extension of the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, Pool)

A church deacon officiates during the funeral ceremony for Detective Luis Alvarez, at Immaculate Conception Church, in the Queens borough of New York, Wednesday, July 3, 2019. Alvarez, 53, who died after a three-year battle with colorectal cancer, fought until his final days for the extension of the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, Pool)

FILE – In this June 11, 2019, file image made from video, retired New York Police Detective and 9/11 responder, Luis Alvarez, speaks during a hearing by the House Judiciary Committee as it considers permanent authorization of the Victim Compensation Fund, on Capitol Hill in Washington. Alvarez, who died on Saturday, June 29, after a three-year battle with cancer that he believed was cause by working at the World Trade Center after the attacks, will be remembered with a funeral service in the Queens borough of New York on Wednesday, July 3. (US Network Pool via AP, Pool)

In an undated file photo provided by the New York City Police Department, NYPD Detective Luis Alvarez poses for a photo. Alvarez, who died on Saturday, June 29, after a three-year battle with cancer that he believed was cause by working at the World Trade Center after the attacks, will be remembered with a funeral service in the Queens borough of New York on Wednesday, July 3. (New York City Police Department via AP, File)

NEW YORK — Hundreds of New York City police officers honored a former detective who fought until his final days for the extension of health benefits for 9/11 first responders.

The funeral ceremony for Detective Luis Alvarez, 53, is being held at Immaculate Conception Church in Astoria, New York.

Alvarez died Saturday in a hospice center after a three-year battle with colorectal cancer. He attributed his illness to the three months he spent digging through rubble at the World Trade Center’s twin towers after the terrorist attack.

In June, a frail Alvarez appeared before the House Judiciary Committee with former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart to request the extension of the Sept. 11 Victim Compensation Fund, which has been largely depleted.

“I did not want to be anywhere else but ground zero when I was there,” Alvarez said at the hearing. “Now the 9/11 illnesses have taken many of us, and we are all worried about our children, our spouses and our families and what happens if we are not here.”

Alvarez is survived by his parents, wife, three sons and three siblings.

After Alvarez and Stewart’s emotional testimony before Congress, the House Judiciary Committee voted unanimously in support of a bill that would extend funding through fiscal year 2090. The bill awaits a full House vote.

Alvarez was born in Havana, Cuba, and raised in the New York City borough of Queens. He served in the Marines before joining the New York Police Department in 1990, and spent time in the Narcotics Division and the Bomb Squad.

Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted Monday he plans to give Alvarez a posthumous key to the city “as a symbol of our profound respect and gratitude for his service.” De Blasio also paid his respects Tuesday at a wake in Long Island.

In a statement after his death, Alvarez’s family called him their “warrior” and told people to remember his words: “‘Please take care of yourselves and each other.’”

NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot Shea tweeted that Alvarez was “an inspiration, a warrior, a friend.”