There's a Latin term "Carpe Diem." It means to seize the day, live life to the fullest. Not one to waste a moment, that's exactly the philosophy Bruce Boehm lived his life by.

Whether it was a summer sunset, a day with his family at Montauk Point, or an afternoon at Nassau Beach, Boehm recognized the beauty in the simple things in life. His wife Irene best describes him as a person who had an insatiable zest for life.

But on the tragic day of September 11, life was taken away from 49-year-old Bruce Boehm, a broker for Cantor Fitzgerald who worked on the upper floors of the first World Trade Center tower struck by a plane under the control of terrorists. He is survived by his wife, two teenage daughters, one 13 years old and one 16 years old, and mother Dorothy, a resident of Franklin Square.

It has been a long two weeks for Irene Boehm, her daughters and her mother-in-law Dorothy, but Mrs. Boehm has shown an enormous amount of strength during the ordeal, perhaps because she believes the spirit of a man who embodied energy and enthusiasm is still alive.

Whether it was swimming, surfing, running marathons, working out or competing in triathlons, Bruce Boehm enjoyed his life and friends and family members found his love for it contagious.

Boehm grew up in Franklin Square and attended Valley Stream North High School. He graduated from Binghamton University in 1974, before working for the Daily News as a mailer. In 1986, he began working as a broker. He was eventually recruited by Cantor Fitzgerald, where he has worked for the past four years.

Mrs. Boehm remembers her husband as a hard worker who instilled in his daughters a strong work ethic. Bruce Boehm may have taken dignity and pride in his work, possessing unselfishness in a business based on personal sales volumes, but he truly loved life away from the office, exercising and going to the beach whenever he could. "He worked out, running, biking or swimming every day," said Mrs. Boehm.

Mr. Boehm could often be seen swimming at Eisenhower Park, visiting Long Island's beaches, going to his favorite place, Montauk Point, cheering on his favorite team; the Hofstra Flying Dutchmen in football, basketball and lacrosse or just enjoying a moment of sun outside of his cozy West Hempstead home. "Every day was the best beach day. He just loved being outside," Mrs. Boehm said. "He loved to go to parties. He loved to meet people."

But whatever Bruce Boehm did, he made others share in his passion. "He made people do things they did not want to do. He would drive you crazy until you did them and then you would do them and you would say, 'thank you,'" said Irene, his wife of 19 years.

The many friends Bruce Boehm has accumulated over the years as well as his family members admired the way he lived his life. "That was his charm," said Irene. "There were many I did only because of him and that made me a better person."

Both of his daughters have inherited, among other things from their father, a love of swimming, as both are members of the Sewanhaka School District swim team. "He was just so proud they were doing it," said Irene Boehm.

His affinity for a simple home filled with love or a quiet time in front of a fireplace or spending time with friends is a testament to Boehm's philosophy that the simple things in life mattered most. "As long as he could sit outside and have a beer and look into the sky and his kids were doing what they were supposed to do, he was happy," said Irene.

Perhaps most of all, Irene Boehm admires the way her husband, nicknamed "Chappy" affectionately by his friends for the way his walk resembled Charlie Chaplin's, was happy to get up each morning, eager not to waste a moment of precious life.

Tuesday, Sept. 11, was almost an ordinary day as Mr. and Mrs. Boehm got out of bed to begin their daily routine. It was just like every other day, except it was the couple's 19th wedding anniversary.

At about 8:40 a.m. on that fateful morning, Mrs. Boehm called her husband at the North Tower of the World Trade Center to tell him some good news concerning one of their daughters. "We talked for about a minute and a half. It wasn't a long conversation. I almost didn't wish him a happy anniversary because I figured I would see him that night," she said.

At 8:48 a.m., American Airlines Flight 11 plowed in the upper floors of the North Tower. "The one thing that bothers me now is that for some reason, I can't remember his voice," Mrs. Boehm said, as she recollected the last she saw of her husband.

Understandably, Mrs. Boehm went into shock, watching on television as an inferno erupted within the buildings. After her husband didn't come home that Tuesday night, she knew he was never coming home. "I had a little bit of hope for a while," she said. "But when he didn't come home Tuesday night, I knew Wednesday morning."

Mr. Boehm was never found nor confirmed dead, but his family has had to accept that they will have to go on without him. Yet, more than two weeks after the attack, Mrs. Boehm and her daughters remain towers of strength in the face of disaster. "The only reason I can hold up is because of him. He just made me so strong. He believed in everything I did," she said. "I think it would be a horrible thing for him for me to fall down. He would not want that for his kids and for me for the rest of our lives nor would I want it for my kids. I want them to go on and have a happy and healthy life."

Rather than focus on the terrible tragedy that struck America that day, Mrs. Boehm chooses to remember the good memories she shared with her husband, confident that his spirit is still a part of herself and her daughters.

Mr. Boehm is remembered as a loving father and husband who was proud of his family. "Chappy and I had 19 years together and it was a great 19 years," said Mrs. Boehm.

Since Bruce Boehm was so fond of the beach, his family is holding a memorial service for him at noon on Friday, Sept. 29 at Nassau Beach. A fund has also been created in his name. Contributions should be made to the Bruce Boehm Memorial Fund, #BB, 734 Franklin Avenue, Garden City, N.Y. 11530.