Michael L. Piro, retired state police sergeant from Riverhead, dies of 9/11 illness at 63

From very early on, Michael L. Piro was a typical "Army brat." Born in West Germany, where his father was stationed with the U.S. Army, Piro and his family moved all over the world as his father’s duty station changed.

Eventually, the Piros settled back on Long Island, where much of the family lived in Bellport. There, Piro planted new roots, graduating from Bellport High School and soon after joining the U.S. Air Force, according to his stepdaughter Melissa Weir.

But the military life didn't inspire Piro, so he went into law enforcement, joining the New York State Police in 1985 and retiring in 2015 with the rank of sergeant.

Piro died on Jan. 6 from an illness attributed to his work at Ground Zero in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack. He was 63. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Saturday directed that flags be flown at half-staff on all state government buildings in his honor.

According to his family and state police officials, Piro started as a state police officer upstate with Troop A. After about a year, he was reassigned to Troop L on Long Island, working primarily in Suffolk County.

"He loved being a state trooper. That is how he lived," said Weir, of West Islip.

Piro and his wife, Cynthia, married in 1991 and had four children: two girls Cynthia had before, Melissa and Jennifer, and two boys the parents had together, Michael and Joseph.

Although he spent most of his state police career on Long Island, Piro and other officers from around the state answered the call for help after the Sept. 11 attack leveled the twin towers. Initially, said Weir, her stepfather did security duty around Ground Zero's perimeter. Piro was then posted with scores of other law enforcement and city officials to Staten Island, where the grim task of sifting through the rubble for human remains was carried out for months.

Piro was diagnosed with kidney cancer in 2021, a condition he fought with surgery and dialysis, Weir said. Last year, Piro’s condition worsened, and he also contracted COVID, she said.

A wake took place for Piro on Friday at McLaughlin Heppner Funeral Home in Riverhead, state police officials said. A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Isidore Roman Catholic Church, 622 Pulaski St., Riverhead. 

Piro is survived by Weir and her spouse, Duncan; her sister, Jennifer Nohejl, and her husband, Kevin, of Aquebogue: sons Michael and his wife, Jaclyn, of Calverton; and Joseph, of Manhattan; as well as four grandchildren. Piro is also survived by four sisters: Patty Matuozzi, of Patchogue,  Kim Piro and Donna Piro, both of Bellport; and Janet Houtenbrik, of Florida. Piro’s wife, Cynthia, predeceased him in 2020.

Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect surname and hometown for Michael Piro's sister Patty Matuozzi, of Patchogue. And Piro started his state police career with upstate Troop A.

By Anthony M. DeStefano

tony.destefano@newsday.comtonynewsday

Anthony M. DeStefano has been a reporter for Newsday since 1986 and covers law enforcement, criminal justice and legal affairs from its New York City offices.