The only son of a hero firefighter killed in the horrific Father's Day blaze in Queens two years ago was buried yesterday next to his dad in St. Mary's Cemetery after losing his battle with cancer on Monday.
A bouquet of blue and white balloons spiraled up into a crisp wind over the grave of 5-year-old Michael Downing, eulogized as a boy "with the heart of a lion."
Michael's mother, Anne, and sister, Joanne, 9, sobbed as they touched his little white and gold casket for the last time.
"He was young and fragile, but he had the heart of a lion and his father's willpower," family friend and firefighter Gerry Brannigan earlier told 1,600 mourners at St. Sebastian's Catholic Church in Woodside.
It was the second time in two years that tragedy struck the Downing family.
Michael's dad, John Downing, was one of three firefighters who lost their lives when an explosion ripped through a Queens hardware store during a five alarm inferno on Father's Day, 2001.
After the horrific blaze, The Post raised $1.6 million to benefit the families of Harry Ford, Brian Fahey and John Downing.
A year after his dad's death, little Michael was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a cancer that affects the nervous system.
Yesterday, 500 firefighters and cops lined Roosevelt Avenue.
During the service, mother and daughter clasped each other's hand as Ronan Tynan sang "You Raise Me Up," the same song he wrote for and performed at John Downing's funeral in the same church two years earlier.
Related:
- Previous: Father's Day Fire Coverage
