The firefighters at Ladder Co. 110 looked up to "Big Daddy," and it wasn't only because of his towering physique.
Lt. Paul Mitchell was also a respected leader, a strong man with a caring and generous spirit.
He took probies under his wing, offering tips on safety and preparedness. And he gave guidance to all who asked, dispensing counsel on everything from golfing to how to get grants to pay for a kid's education.
Everybody relied on "Big Daddy."
"Even chiefs came to him for advice. Paul had an answer for everything," said Firefighter Christopher Gunn, Mr. Mitchell's longtime friend at Brooklyn's Ladder Co. 110. "Just like with his family, he was Superman to them. Well, he was Superman to us. That's how we looked up to him."
Early on the morning of Sept. 11, Mr. Mitchell was ending a 24-hour shift at Engine Co. 5 in Manhattan, where he had been temporarily assigned.
He was heading home to Annandale when the first plane hit the World Trade Center sometime during the trip down the FDR Drive, and he quickly made his way to Ladder Co. 110 on Tillary Street, where he began his firefighting career in 1987.
"It was his home. He was always there," said his wife, the former Maureen Brown. "He was a very large presence on Tillary Street."
By the time Mr. Mitchell arrived at the Brooklyn firehouse, his brothers had already left for Lower Manhattan, so he grabbed some gear and hopped in a Fire Department van that followed a chief's car to the scene. He was last seen near Tower 2.
Mr. Mitchell remains among the thousands missing in the terrorist attacks. He was 46.
"He just loved being a fireman," said Mrs. Mitchell. "He wanted a job where he could help people and do something worthwhile."
Mr. Mitchell, who stood 6 feet 4 inches tall, earned the name "Big Daddy" at Ladder Co. 110, where he spent most of his Fire Department career until he was promoted to lieutenant last October and assigned to Manhattan's 1st Battalion. As with all first-year lieutenants, he covered shifts where needed throughout the city. But his heart was always stationed at Tillary Street.
"His last run was that run (on Sept. 11), and he left from our quarters," said Mr. Gunn. "It's no coincidence that that's where he left from. It was meant to be."
Mr. Mitchell was born in Brooklyn and taken to Meiers Corners as a child. He graduated from St. Peter's Boys High School. In 1978, he settled in Annadale. For 11 years, he worked as a dock foreman at General Motors in Linden, N.J., but found his calling in the FDNY.
"You could tell that the job and the man were made for each other," said Gary Barton of Bulls Head, Mr. Mitchell's close friend for the past decade.
"He considered the firemen his family," said Mrs. Mitchell, a third- and fourth-grade special education teacher at PS 30 in Westerleigh. "We went on vacation with other firemen every summer. He ran the golf outing. He ran the annual dinner-dance. He was a leader."
Mr. Mitchell was an avid golfer and served as assistant golf coach at Notre Dame Academy while his daughter, Jennifer, an Advance All-Star, was a student there.
He was a parishioner of Our Lady Star of the Sea R.C. Church, Huguenot, and coached girls' basketball and soccer at the parish school, beginning when his daughters were students there.
"Even after my girls graduated from there, he coached basketball there," said Mrs. Mitchell. "He used to help the girls, particularly at Notre Dame. He used to encourage them to go to regional tournaments."
Mr. Mitchell was "extremely proud" of his daughters' academic and sports accomplishments, his wife said.
His younger daughter, Christine, was an Advance All-Star in volleyball. Both young women now attend Boston College. Jennifer is a 20-year-old junior and a valued member of the golf team. Christine, 18, is a freshman who recently decided to serve as a Eucharistic minister at school.
Jennifer and Christine last saw their dad the week before Sept. 11, when their parents drove them to Boston and Mr. Mitchell helped build bookcases for their rooms.
But Mr. Mitchell's reputation for helping others extended well beyond his family and friends to neighbors, acquaintances and strangers.
A skilled woodworker, he enjoyed making plaques for firefighters when they were promoted or retired, and one of his biggest thrills was hosting a "pasta night" for local firefighters during the couple's annual retreat to Cape Cod.
"Everybody loved him. He was always helping people. He was always extending himself for people, going out of his way," said Mrs. Mitchell. "He made people feel very warm and comfortable. So many people have been touched by him."
"Never, in all my years of knowing Paul, did I ever hear him say no to anybody," Mr. Barton said. "If you needed a hand, somehow Big Daddy was always there." In addition to his wife, Maureen, and his daughters, Jennifer and Christine, survivors include his mother, Rosemary, and his sisters, Marie Mitchell and Susan McCormick. - Staten Island Advance, 2001