New York State Trooper Michael Anson was remembered today for three decades of service. WAMC's Capital Region Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports from Anson’s funeral service at Siena College.
The 31-year state police veteran died January 2nd of cancer stemming from his assignment as a first responder at Ground Zero after 9/11. State Police Superintendent George Beach says Anson touched "literally thousands" of lives in the course of his career. "From most of the time that he was with the State Police he was a road patrol trooper in Rensselaer County. Responded to countless, countless calls, contacts with citizens, assisting people, as is the regular duties of New York State troopers. I can tell you that he made a great impact in the seven years that he worked as a school resource officer."
Anson, most recently stationed in New Scotland, served his entire career in Troop G, which covers a large portion of the Capital Region. He was 56. Troop G Commander Major Robert Patnaude: "Mike had a side business. A lot of people know he printed shirts. He sold a lot of State Police paraphernalia on the side, so he was an entrepreneur as well as a trooper. He stayed a trooper his entire career, which, you know as we move up the ranks there's a lot of opportunity with the State Police. The trooper is the backbone of our job, and in a lot of ways, the stories we tell when we retire are when we were a trooper, not when we were a major, a superintendent or investigator."
Anson's daughter Mikala and Superintendent Beach eulogized Anson. "If you wanna help us continue my father’s legacy, all you got to do is try to help one person a day. Because that's all he ever wanted to do was help one person. And I think by doing that, if everybody here were to do that we would leave the world such a better place than we found it, which is exactly what my father did." "Simply put, as a trooper, Mike got it. Common sense. Discretion. A great communicator. Attitude. And an outstanding work ethic. This job came with ease to Mike. He was a great road trooper. But he was an even better teacher."
Trooper Anson, an Albany County native, is survived by his wife, their three children, and his brothers. Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered flags lowered to half-staff in his honor.
Former FDNY Firefighter and Westchester (Cortlandt Manor) resident Michael O’Hanlon died in September 2017 after a battle with 9/11 related cancer. He was 59. He had worked for weeks on rescue and recovery efforts. His funeral was in Peekskill and he was well-known in the community
