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Family and friends will gather in Oceanside on Friday for an FDNY ceremony and funeral service for the New York City firefighter from Long Beach who died in a tragic accident while vacationing with his family.
The observances for Casey Skudin start at 11 a.m. at Towers Funeral Home, 2681 Long Beach Road. They are expected to conclude at 1:30 p.m. On Thursday, the funeral home will host visitation services for Skudin from 3-7 p.m.
Family and friends have put out a special request for visitors to not dress in black.
Skudin, 45, was killed on Friday, June 17, during a windstorm in Asheville, North Carolina, when a tree fell on the SUV occupied by he and his family. The Skudins and their two sons, Ben, 19, and CJ, 10, were on vacation and celebrating Skudin’s birthday; he would have turned 46 on Father’s Day.
“It is with great sadness that I announced the passing of my Rock, my partner of 20 years @cskudin you are so very loved and so missed..our family will be healing for eternity 💔,” Skudoin’s wife Angela posted on Instagram following the freak accident that took the life of her “favorite human.”
“My sweet bear I thank you for choosing me to be the love of your life,” she added.
A GoFundMe page has been established to benefit Skudin’s family.
“Always willing to step in and help out, Casey was a highly decorated 16 year veteran of the FDNY who received multiple medals for his bravery, especially during Superstorm Sandy,” the GoFundMe post states. “Angela, Ben, and CJ have an overwhelming amount of healing ahead of them. We hope to support them by taking away any stress along the way.”
Click here to make a donation on a GoFundMe page created for Skudin’s family
The FDNY Foundation set up a scholarship fund for Skudin’s children. To make a donation, click here, and then scroll down to “Select the Fund” and choose “Firefighter Casey E. Skudin Children’s Scholarship Fund.”
