NY Daily News

Remembering fallen fireman: 'He was so proud to be there'

The Rev. Caleb Buchanan will lead the Mass at St. Ephrem's Church in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where the young couple was married, Msgr. Peter Kain said yesterday at the firefighter's wake.

Graffagnino's fire helmet lay atop his coffin, surrounded by photos, flowers and hundreds of mourners as scores of firefighters in dress blues and white gloves lined the street in front of Andrew Torregrossa and Sons Funeral Home in Dyker Heights.

Firefighters snapped to attention and saluted as Graffagnino's widow and other relatives arrived at the wake.

"I told his mother, 'I don't have any words,'" Kain said, recounting his emotional conversation with the grieving Rosemarie Graffagnino. "She said, 'There are no words.'"

While grief was the overwhelming emotion gripping the gathered, the memories they shared about Graffagnino, 33, always returned to his kindness.

"He was always smiling ear to ear," Firefighter Dan Fennell said. "He had a heart of gold."

Graffagnino and fellow Engine 24/Ladder 5 Firefighter Robert Beddia, 53, died Saturday when they ran out of oxygen while battling a fierce blaze in the vacant former Deutsche Bank building in lower Manhattan.

Graffagnino was remembered as a dedicated firefighter who had dreamed of joining the Bravest since he was a kid growing up in Dyker Heights. He was also known as a family man who doted over his children, Mia, 4, and Joseph, who will soon celebrate his first birthday.

Fellow Ladder 5 Firefighter Mike Simon, 39, said it didn't take Graffagnino long to adapt and earn the respect of the veteran Bravest when he arrived at the Greenwich Village firehouse as a probie.

"The minute Joey opened his mouth, it's like he was there for 20 years," Simon said. "He just fit right in."

Simon said Graffagnino wore the pride he took in the job on his face.

"From day one to forever, Joey will always be remembered as always having a smile," he said. "He had the biggest smile on his face and he was so proud to be there."

Though the mourners did their best to celebrate Graffagnino's life, a sense of anger lingered over the circumstances of his death.

Some could not understand why FDNY personnel were sent into a condemned building.

"It's negligence," said Gladys Sanfeliz, a family friend. "Did they have to send those poor guys into a building with no people? Who were they trying to save? The garbage?"

State Sen. Marty Golden (R-Brooklyn) echoed that sentiment as he and other public officials, including Mayor Bloomberg and Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta, stopped by to pay respects.

"More could have been done - water should have been going through the building," Golden said. "It could have been better managed and it could have been prevented."

Meanwhile, Beddia's family stayed clear of any controversy, choosing instead to focus on preparations for his wake today on Staten Island and his funeral Mass Friday at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.

"Right now, we're thinking about putting Bobby to rest; that's it," said Beddia's oldest brother, Ed Carman, 64. "The next few days are strictly about family."

With Elizabeth Hays