Today we remember FF Patrick Lyons, FDNY, Squad 252, on what would have been his 53rd birthday.
Patrick Lyons, 34, of South Setauket, was a firefighter with Squad 252 in Brooklyn. Patrick Lyons' wife gave birth to their son, Patrick, a month after he died in the north tower.
"As you can imagine, it's supposed to be the happiest time of your life, and I had to balance that with the worst time of my life," said Irene Lyons Loeffler, 43, now of Glen Head. "And my baby totally saved me. He gave me someone new to love every minute of every day."
Patrick Lyons of South Setauket lived a life that seamlessly reconciled the contradictory. He worked hard, as a firefighter and owner of a successful limousine business at the same time. Yet, he would advise his wife to leave a grueling accounting job or forgo chores so she would have time to enjoy the weather. He was an incredible planner, waiting years to marry in order to be financially prepared for a family. Yet he could be spontaneous, traveling on a whim to the Super Bowl.
Most of all, he was competitive at almost everything, but only for pure fun and challenge, his family said. "He worked very hard between those two jobs, and he played hard," said his wife, Irene Lyons.
Lyons, 34, who followed in his father's footsteps and joined the fire department in 1990, has been missing since Sept. 11. That day, his squad, No. 252, was called to the World Trade Center.
Since then, the family's consolation has come from the birth of his son, Patrick Mate, nearly one month after Sept. 11. "When he finally came around, it was wonderful," his wife said. "I don't know how I'd live without this baby. Every time I look at him, I see my husband. "I definitely believe Pat's in heaven taking care of me by giving me such a good baby."
Shared from wod website