Michael Elferis

He Looked Forward To Work Every Day. Ever since he was a little boy, Michael Elferis wanted to be a firefighter. “He liked to watch the engines go by on the street,” said Mary Elferis, his mother. Three years ago, Michael's wish came true when he joined Engine Co. 22 on Manhattan's upper-east-side.

The 27-year-old firefighter is now missing and is believed to have been at Two World Trade Center when it collapsed. He was a New York City police officer for two years before deciding to become a firefighter. He always looked forward to going to work every day, said his mother. “Even when he was off he'd go into the firehouse,” she said. Elferis was raised in College Point and attended John Jay College.

An avid sports buff and a devout Yankees fan, Elferis is survived by two brothers, one of whom is a New York City police officer, and two sisters. -Bill Kaufman