STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — One New Year’s Eve, the Heffernan family’s cocker spaniel became ill. Charles Heffernan and his daughter, Amanda, took the dog to the emergency veterinarian. While they were there, another father came in with his son. They were distressed; their dog had been hit by a car and would require expensive surgery. Heffernan overheard the father on the phone, worried about the cost. He approached the vet’s receptionist and covertly paid the man’s bill.
“He was always giving back to the community, paying it forward in an unassuming way,” said his daughter, Alexis Fletcher. “He didn’t want any recognition for it at all. He would donate things or give to causes, but he always did it anonymously.”
Heffernan, a distinguished attorney, prosecutor, and judge, died on March 12. He was 82 years old…