Joseph O Ennis

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Longtime Eltingville resident Joseph O. Ennis, 69, a retired city police lieutenant who was always there when his family needed him, died Thursday in Staten Island University Hospital, Princes' Bay, after a long illness.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he graduated from the former Alexander Hamilton High School in his native borough. He attended John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Manhattan.

Mr. Ennis had a 27-year career with the NYPD and was assigned to the chief of patrol office at One Police Plaza in Manhattan. He retired as a lieutenant in 1996 and was a member of the Emerald Society.

He also belonged to the Richmond County Yacht Club.

Mr. Ennis was a history buff and he enjoyed Irish music, fishing and spending time with his family, especially while vacationing in Jupiter, Fla.

He was an eternal optimist and a great man who would do anything for anyone, his family said.

Proud of his Irish roots, he hosted an annual St. Patrick's Day party and celebrated with family and friends, they added.

Mr. Ennis served in the U.S. Navy and was stationed in Pensacola, Fla., and in Rota, Spain.

He was a parishioner of Our Lady Star of the Sea R.C. Church, Huguenot.

Surviving are his wife of 45 years, Monica, his daughters, Kerrie Verticchio, Christine Hanson and Maureen Ennis; his brother, Robert, and four grandchildren.

The funeral will be Saturday from the Casey McCallum Rice South Shore Funeral Home, Great Kills, with a mass at 10 a.m. in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Huguenot. Burial will follow in Resurrection Cemetery, Pleasant Plains.