Thursday, April 7, 2011

Today We Remember FF William "Billy" Lake

Today Remember FF William “Billy” Lake, 44-years-old, Rescue 2 FDNY.

On the night of September 10th , 2001 a special dinner was held at Rescue 2 celebrating Billy’s 20th anniversary with the Fire Department. The guys at the firehouse whipped up a dinner of roast beef, shrimp, and chocolate mousse for everyone on duty that night. Laughter rang throughout the walls of the firehouse.

This would be the last dinner at the firehouse for many of the men at Rescue 2.

The next day, on September 11th, Billy Lake perished in the north tower of the WTC. Billy was no stranger to rescues and disasters. He had saved people in all manners of disaster, including a scuba dive rescue, the 1993 WTC bombing and the Oklahoma City tragedy.

As a young boy, Billy’s mom could always find him hanging out at the firehouse two blocks away. He spent all of his free time there.

On the outside he was a tough guy, with a Rescue 2 tattoo, a Harley Davidson, and labored hands. On the inside, he was a softie. He loved his son Kyler and his cat Boxie.

He was known for his dedication to saving lives.

9/11 was Billy’s last call.

We Will Never Forget!

4 comments:

  1. A great tribute to a great man. Uncle Billy will never be forgotten. Thank you for making this website.

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  2. Tim, from what I learned about your Uncle while writing this tribute, you absolutely have an amazing Uncle. The ability for these men to put other's lives ahead of their own is the most admirable quality one can possess and only the Heroes possess this.
    We Will Never Forget your uncle!

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  3. I had the pleasure of knowing Billy while working at a pharmacy in Queens. Billy would arrive in his beautiful Harley and stand a post to protect everyone at the store. He was an all around individual and a gentleman all the way. His smile would like up anyone's day and we had a lot of fun since he joked all the time. I live nearby where he used to go get groceries with his brothers and i loved going there and finding him looking good and smiling at everyone and i loved bragging such a good looking, brave man as a friend. I missed not seeing him, i still see the truck and hope to God he'll come down from it even after all these years. That company is a new company and nothing is the same. Still these men are imcomparable and will continue to help us. Timmy, I dont know you but i can tell you that your uncle touch a lot of people's lives including mine. After so many years of looking for him everywhere I finally see him here! After 1o years he's still missed and he will always remain in our hearts. We will never forget him!
    Mary A.

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  4. Today is 9-11-2018.I am wearing my William Lake silver bracelet as I have done every year since 9-11. I wear this in remembrance of William and all the firefighters that died saving strangers. God Bless them all

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