Wake held for Timothy Klein, firefighter killed battling house fire in Canarsie, Brooklyn

NEW YORK — A wake was held Thursday for hero FDNY Firefighter Timothy Klein. 

The 31-year-old was killed while battling a raging house fire Sunday in Brooklyn. 

Two services took place at McManus Funeral Home in Flatlands for the firefighter who was loved by many. 

The Queens community he grew up in is heartbroken about the loss, but wants New Yorkers to know how much he meant to them. 

Edward Shannon remembers Klein from Archbishop Molloy High School, where he is now the dean of students. 

“He was a pleasure to have coached. He was one of those tough, gritty Rockaway kids,” Shannon told CBS2. 

Klein was a student athlete known for his drive. Shannon was his junior varsity basketball coach. 

“As we look now to what he did as a part of the firemen and as part of the fire department, he was a true team player. He was part of the team that went in to do their best to save people’s lives,” Shannon said. “He gave the ultimate sacrifice.”

Klein graduated from high school in 2008, and his three younger sisters, Erin, Bridget and Tara, also went there over the span of 10 years. They’re all described as wonderful people.

From high school, to first grade, Klein left a mark. 

“He was a bundle of energy,” said his first grade teacher Suellen Foti. “He loved to learn.”

Foti recalls his passion for the career as a fireman from a young age.

“I remember that we used to have the firemen come in and they did a whole fire safety and let them try on uniforms and everything, and he along with all the other students were so excited and they so wanted to be a fireman,” Foti said,” she told CBS2. 

More than 20 years later, Klein went on to serve with the FDNY, just as his father did. 

Foti said she’s honored to have the privilege to teach a child who grew up to be such an incredible man. 

“I watched him grow up throughout the eight years he was here at St. Francis,” she said. “He was a very good boy and he’ll be sorely missed.”

Klein leaves behind his parents, sisters and girlfriend.