Hope McHale wept at UBS Arena as the Islanders and Tunnel to Towers revealed they had erased her mortgage and pledged her twins’ college tuition.
The Manhasset mother, 57, lost her husband Fire Marshal Martin “Woody” McHale on Christmas Eve 2012 when he suffered a heart attack behind the wheel after a shift and crashed into a neighbor’s house. The dad, who had worked the Ground Zero morgue as a 9/11 responder, left behind two boys under age four.
“Woody and I struggled to have children, and we had children late in life,” McHale, now a single mom who works in sales for Ralph Lauren, told The Post. “They were definitely his prized possession – and [their birth] was definitely his proudest moment. He was just so happy to be a dad. He was such a good dad to my children.”
After Woody died, McHale moved with Matthew and Ryan from Bayside, Queens, to Long Island in 2014. “This is a place that he wanted to raise our family,” she said.
The twins, now seniors at Manhasset High School, have college plans taking shape. Matthew has been accepted to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, while Ryan is eyeing Fairfield University in Connecticut. Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky has already reached out to his contacts on Ryan’s behalf.
The Oct. 10 game against the Lightning doubled as a tribute to Woody. His face filled the Jumbotron before thousands as the crowd roared. McHale and her sons watched from the owner’s suite alongside Ledecky, who grew emotional witnessing the family’s moment.
“Here’s somebody making their way through life, and now they get this big assist,” Ledecky told The Post. “And to put that love to work by raising these two kids alone as a single mom, it’s pretty incredible. … They’re terrific kids who are going to have great careers.”
The financial relief hit McHale in waves. “The mortgage alone is life-changing,” she said. “The college thing is, I mean — there are no words. There’s so much pressure off.”
The evening also raised $34,000 in 50-50 raffle proceeds for Tunnel to Towers. “I felt kind of like it was a hat trick,” Ledecky said, pointing to the layered goodwill.
Woody McHale’s death came after years of service that included the harrowing work of identifying remains at Ground Zero. The heart attack struck as he drove home from the firehouse, ending a life defined by duty and fatherhood found late.
