Hundreds fill church, line streets for firefighter’s funeral

A veteran New York City firefighter who die while preparing for a training. Exercise earlier this month was remembere Thursday as a loving husban. Father who was dedicate to his profession and public service.

Hundreds of firefighters joined family and friends for the funeral of William P. Moon II in Bay Shore on Long Island.

Firefighters from numerous departments lined Main Street. As Moon’s casket was transporte on a fire engine in a procession to St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church.

Hundreds fill church, line streets for firefighter’s funeral

“For Billy, it was never about making himself better. About what can done to better serve those around him,” she said.

New York Mayor Eric Adams and fire department leaders also spoke at the funeral. Praising Moon for his service and noting how he helped save others’ lives after his death through organ donations.

“We’re going to miss firefighter Moon,” Adams said. But he was not only a hero in life, he understood what it meant to be a firefighter: courage, bravery and sacrifice.”

He suffered a fatal head injury on Dec. 12. When he fell 20 feet inside his firehouse while preparing for a drill, officials said. He was 47.

Hundreds fill church, line streets for firefighter’s funeralMoon joined the department in May 2002 and spent nearly 20 years at a ladder company in Queens before transferring last January to Rescue 2, an elite unit that doesn’t just fight fires but also rescues window washers dangling from scaffolding and construction workers trapped in collapsed buildings.

FDNY veteran William Moon was remembered at his funeral Thursday. as a true hero who continued to help others even in death — with his donated organs saving the lives of two fellow members of New York’s Bravest.

Thousands of uniformed firefighters lined up outside St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic Church in Bay Shore to pay their final respects to Moon, a 47-year-old dad of two who died earlier this month during a training accident at his Brooklyn firehouse.

Kristina Moon called her husband her best friend. A devote father to their two children during the service, adding he always knew how to make them laugh.

Moon’s 8-year-old son, Colin, was among them, wearing his father’s dress uniform.

“He describes himself as being cool, being awesome and the smartest in the world,” the youngster, who is aspiring to become a firefighter like his dad, said during the funeral. “My sister says he’s not. I say he is.

“I will never forget how he taught me to roller skate,” the boy said. “My name is Colin Moon and I love him so much.”

Moon’s widow, Kristina, said her husband — a 21-year veteran of the department — was a devoted dad and loving partner whose passion for the fire service was part of the family’s life.

Some may have already heard me say recently that marrying Billy was like a marriage to the firehouse,” she said. “His dedication and love for the job was intertwine into our daily lives. I have video of the kids responding to their own calls. He wasn’t allowe to leave the house until telling them what he had.

“Many have often heard me say I am raising the female version of Billy in [the couple’s daughter] Brianne and the mini-me version of him in Colin,” she said. “Therefore I know his big personality and strong sense of passion in life will live on as they grow and carry his legacy. Billy, you’re my best friend.”

Moon, a member of the FDNY’s elite Rescue Company 2, was kille on Dec. 12 when he fell 20 feet while training for a skyscraper rescue in Ocean Hill in a tragic freak accident. He was the 1,159th member of New York’s Bravest to die in the line of duty.