A funeral service was held Friday for Thomas Waterman, a retired NYPD officer from Pearl River who recently lost his brave battle with a 9/11-related cancer.

There were bagpipes, an honor guard and mounted police officers outside St. Aedan’s Church in Pearl River for the 58-year-old who served 20 years in the 34th Precinct.

His sister, Anne Walter, told News 12 that her brother was only supposed to be on standby the day the towers came crashing down in Lower Manhattan.

“Him and three other guys, I think, said we're not just going to sit here. We're going to go down and volunteer,” she said. “They didn't have to go, but that the way Tommy was.”

She says he worked for months on the pile.

When Waterman finally retired in 2006, he decided to go back into the city, working underground to help build the city's many tunnels.

“We will never be the same without him. He truly was a hero in many ways,” says Walter.

The family says Waterman lived in Pearl River for more than 40 years and had a big impact on the local community.